Saturday, October 17, 2015 Despite a chilly and windy morning, 128 volunteers came out on foot and by boat to participate in FOTO’s Fall Occoquan River cleanup. A big thank you goes out to all the community groups, the Boy Scouts of America, local schools and families with their children who collected 86 bags of trash, 24 bags of recyclables, 8 tires, a flat screen TV, blinds, car generator, skate boards, a box spring and mattress, 2 oil barrels, carpets, foam pieces, large iron rings, pieces of a fence and a door, 2 crates and assorted pieces of Styrofoam and wooden boards. Because of their efforts the scenic Occoquan River is relieved of 1.3 tons of trash. A special thanks goes to Duane DeBruyne and the Lake Braddock Crew, Bull Run Rotary Club, Osbourn Eagles from the Manassas City Schools, Interact and CCN, Boy Scout Troop 1369, the Sea Shepherds Conservation Society, American Water, Nestle Company, SEV1Tech, Fairfax Yacht Club, Lions Club, Optimist Club, Trash Trek of Penn Elementary School, Environmental Science students from Woodbridge and Osborn Park High Schools and Lake Ridge Elementary School. For the younger generation, FOTO’s Helga Perrin demonstrated an environmental display on conservation & stewardship of the environment and the importance of wetlands at the Lake Ridge Marina. Thank you Helga Perrin and thanks also goes to Kimm Barry, Kirstyn Barr Jovanovich, Linda Murray, Sonia Monson and Alex Vanegas for manning the sign-in stations at the four marinas and the Town of Occoquan and the various park managers who provided boats, their time and the disposal of the collected trash.
