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Each year, on the first Saturday of June, thousands of Virginians simultaneously descend on the rivers, streams, beaches, and inland parks of the Chesapeake Bay watershed to remove harmful litter and debris. Clean the Bay Day has been a staple for Virginia's Chesapeake Bay community since its inception more than three decades ago. A true Virginian tradition, it is an annual opportunity for individuals, families, military installations, businesses, clubs, civic and church groups to give back to their local waterways. Watch our video to see why so many people participate.
Important Information
Signing up for Clean the Bay Day is easy! Look over the map or list of cleanup sites, choose your locality, and register yourself or your group. From there, your information is sent to a Clean the Bay Day local coordinator near you. They will reach out to assign you to a specific cleanup location. When you show up on Clean the Bay Day, just come prepared to help pick up litter and debris. All cleanup supplies will be provided on site.
If you are looking to go one step further, become a Zone Captain! Zone Captains are lead volunteers who oversee their cleanup site and other volunteers. They collect data (total weight of debris, number of volunteers, etc.) to report back to their Clean the Bay Day partner. You can volunteer as a Zone Captain during your registration. If selected, we ask all new Zone Captains to watch a brief virtual training session and help promote the event where possible. Contact your local coordinator or us ([email protected]) to receive the training and promotional material. It is easy and you get a cool hat! Get more details on our Zone Captain web page.
While litter is easily prevented and can be picked up by anyone on any given morning, tackling the major unseen threats to the Bay watershed—like habitat loss, sediment, and nutrient pollution—require broad and focused support. Clean the Bay Day often performs as a gateway program through which children and adults alike embrace environmental stewardship of their waterways. We hope you will help us in our mission to save the Bay by learning more about the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, our best chance to restore and protect the Bay and its rivers and streams.
Clean the Bay Day is built on strong, lasting relationships between dozens of cities and counties, non-profits, military installations, small businesses, and large corporations. On Clean the Bay Day, we all come together with families, individuals, church groups, and elected officials at local, state, and federal levels for a common cause: clean water.
We are always welcoming new partners and sponsors to share the limelight with us! If you'd like to know more, please send an email to [email protected] or call 757-644-4122.
We would like to thank all of the volunteers, partners, and sponsors that make this event such a stellar success each year. On behalf of CBF and all the Virginia waterways leading to the Bay, thank you.
Posted by Chesapeake Bay Foundation
