One day after Tropical Storm Ophelia brought high winds and storm surge through the area, 53 volunteers teamed up to remove trash from the Great Wicomico River and its tributaries. The 2023 NAPS Creek Cleanup on September 24 was hosted by the Northumberland Association for Progressive Stewardship (NAPS) with essential support from Omega Protein, Smith Point Sea Rescue and Reedville Fishermen’s Museum, reported NAPS president Mike Ahart.
The land base of operations was Mila Landing near Wicomico Church. After a lunch for all participants at noon, eight cleanup teams on skiffs and kayaks shoved off to comb 35 miles of shoreline and return to the land base with boatloads of trash. As a safety precaution, Pat Darr, Stacie Talbot and Bill Turville stood watch on Smith Point Sea Rescue’s 42-foot Provincial Rescue I.
A trash-sorting crew at Mila Landing documented the haul and pulled out material that could be recycled or reused. An estimated 3,800 pounds of refuse was removed from the waterways….
