Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Jill Howell joined 40 volunteers last Saturday to remove more than 800 pounds of trash in and along the banks of the Tar River in Rocky Mount.

“There was a great turnout in Rocky Mount for the river clean up, with both seasoned paddlers and kids who had never been in a kayak before working together to take quite a bit of trash out of the river,” Jill said.

Organized by Palmer Edwards, volunteers for the Tar River Rescue came from the Medoc Chapter of the Sierra Club, Keep America Beautiful Nash and Edgecombe Counties, Wesleyan Rotaract and Rotary Club were armed with 30-gallon trash bags and trash pickers as they combed a section of the Tar River from Bethlehem Road to Peachtree Street. Jill helped with logistics, planning and supplied Sound Rivers’ kayaks for the clean-up.

Members of the Search & Rescue showed up to help rescue the Tar from trash last Saturday.

She said it was a successful event all-around.

“As a riverkeeper, I spend a lot of time focusing on pollution issues and all of the bad stuff impacting our waterways. I’m always heartened, though, with events like this when folks show up and choose to spend their time cleaning up the river and their community,” Jill said.

More than 800 pounds of garbage was collected from the stretch between Bethlehem Road and Peachtree Street along the Tar River.