Quad Cities through Keokuk, IA
Davenport, IA/ August 3, 2012- A massive volunteer effort to clean the mighty Mississippi is about to begin its third phase. The Great Mississippi River Clean-up, which began as a one-day, simultaneous event now encompasses 20 cities and is growing into a summer-long campaign. Living Lands & Waters (LL&W) will launch phase three August 11th from the Quad Cities through Oquawka, Illinois. This year's cleanup began on June 13th, when volunteers gathered along the Mississippi from Saint Paul, MN to La Crosse, WI, pulling garbage out of the waters.
Originally a one day event, the Great Mississippi River clean-up has had to expand to a summer long excursion due to the overwhelming volunteer response. In all, 2,500-3,000 volunteers are expected to take part in this year's clean-up of this iconic waterway.
The next scheduled phases of the clean-up are:
- August 11th - Quad-Cities to Keokuk, IA
- September 15th - Quincy, IL through St. Louis, MO.
LL&W Founder and President Chad Pregracke calls the shift a logical progression in the life cycle of this massive undertaking. Pregracke says, "Doing the clean up in phases will help bring our important message to more people. And that's part of what Living Lands & Waters is all about: bringing the health of our rivers to the attention of everyone who depends upon them, and then working to improve it."
Living Lands & Waters is a 501(c) (3) environmental organization established in 1998 and headquartered in East Moline, Illinois. LL&W has removed more than six million pounds of trash through cleanup efforts along the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois and Potomac rivers since its launch 15 years ago. LL&W also coordinated flood relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina and the historic floods in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Lake Delton, Wisconsin in 2008.
For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, please visit www.livinglandsandwaters.org.
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