Outdoor Rec to lend hand in cleaning Rio Grande

  • Published
  • By Jonathan Rejent
  • Nucleus staff writer
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Outdoor Recreation will team with Albuquerque Open Space to help clean a four-mile stretch of the Rio Grande River.

The event will be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 11. Volunteers will meet on the northeast side of the Central Avenue Bridge. Parking is available at the Tingley Beach overflow parking area on the north end of Tingley Beach.

"As our city grows, citizen stewardship of the Rio Grande and its cottonwood Bosque becomes more and more important," said Mayor Richard Berry. "Participating in the National River Cleanup is a great way to help show that we as a community care about our Rio."

For more than five years, Outdoor Recreation has assisted Albuquerque Open Space with the cleanup.

Dan Isaac, Outdoor Rec adventure programmer, said the event hardly feels like work.

"It's a great service to both the community and the environment," Isaac said.

The event will focus on collecting trash that has accumulated on the river banks and in the surrounding Bosque.

The day will conclude with a free lunch and a prize drawing.

Experienced boaters who are interested in cleaning the river in their own raft, kayak or canoe can sign up by calling 452-5216 or emailing Kent Swanson at kswanson@cabq.gov. Open Space will provide trash bags for the event and dispose of collected trash.

For more information, call Kent Swanson at 452-5216.