It was a beautiful morning on the Erie Canal on Saturday, November 18, 2023 as our community came together and helped with our club's monthly clean up of its adopted trail section of the Erie Canalway that borders southwest Rochester. Starting at the Chili Avenue entrance to the trail, half a dozen Rotarians and friends headed eastward toward Brooks Avenue working together and individually to pick up all sorts of debris. From a baby stroller filled with assorted items to cans and bottles, cups, plastic bags and styrofoam, volunteers filled over 8 large bags with trash.
This is important undertaking happens year-round on the third Saturday of every month as part of Rotary International's focus on the environment. Not only do the club's efforts restore the canal's natural beauty but they help to protect local wildlife. Many of the things that people throw out, like the rings from a six pack, can endanger the lives of wild animals. The Plastic Soup Foundation shares the myriad of ways that wildlife can be harmed by plastic pollution, including getting "trapped and entangled in plastics, preventing them from being able to hunt for food or making them more vulnerable to nearby prey. If they accidentally get their head stuck in plastic food containers, animals will suffer from overheating, suffocation, dehydration, starvation, and eventual death." (https://kids.earth.org) | |
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