Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) volunteers filled ten 30-gallon trash bags with litter at Pony Pasture Saturday, improving local waterways and raising awareness of the impacts of pollution as some volunteers transformed the litter into art.
A popular summer spot that drew scores of Richmond residents to its hiking and biking trails as well as paddlers to its rapids Saturday, Pony Pasture is also unfortunately a site for a high volume of litter.
For two hours Saturday, 15 volunteers picked up a variety of items, including diapers, bookshelves, wheel covers, beer cans, and cigarette butts.
After filling some trash bags, Elliott Berry and Heather Gibson with Art on Wheels began imprinting the debris into textured print photos.
Heather Gibson transforms litter into art for Art on Wheels after picking up debris during CBF's Clean the Bay Day RVA on July 20, 2024.
Vanessa Remmers/CBF Staff
“We hope this helps people recognize the impacts of pollution, even here in Pony Pasture,” said Richmond resident Heather Gibson as she pressed the base of a beer can onto paper using black ink.
Rain washes pollutants as well as litter from streets and parks into waterways, leading to microplastics and other pollution far downstream in rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. The more extreme summer weather bringing brutal heat and damaging storms to their backyards mobilized some of Saturday’s volunteers in the broader fight for cleaner water and healthier communities.
Not far from Gibson, Sarah Kinlaw, a junior at The College of William and Mary who participates in CBF’s Bay Advocacy Institute for college students, dropped beer cans and wheel hubs into a trash bag.
“They talk to us about activism in class, but it’s different when real people are telling you they need help,” Sarah Kinlaw said. “I really wanted to get out into the field with CBF as soon as possible.”
Clean the Bay RVA continued the spirit of the statewide Clean the Bay Day, Virginia’s largest and longest-running litter and shoreline cleanup. This past year, Clean the Bay Day on June 1st resulted in more than 100,000 pounds of litter diverted from Virginia’s waterways. Richmond-area sites were among the more than 200 locations where 4,470 volunteers and more than 60 CBF partners picked up debris for Clean the Bay Day.
“I wanted volunteers to have an impact on a place that matters to the Richmond community. By picking up litter at Pony Pasture, Richmond residents not only help clean water that flows into the Chesapeake Bay, but also provide a valuable transformation to a beloved local spot,” said Autumn Hart, CBF’s Virginia Administrative and Outreach Assistant.
A volunteer picks up litter along the river at Pony Pasture during CBF's Clean the Bay RVA on July 20, 2024.
Autumn Hart/CBF Staff
Virginia Communications & Media Relations Manager, CBF
[email protected]
804-258-1567
