Bitter cold did not stop volunteers from coming out and helping clean Bristol Borough on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
More than 40 volunteers, organized and deployed by the Heritage Conservancy took to the Bristol Marsh and waterfront to pick up trash and promote environmental well being.
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According to Shannon Fredebaugh, the senior community engagement associate for the nonprofit, the marsh is home to more than 350 different species of plants and animals.
Bristol Marsh has been a point of interest along the Delaware River. It is a freshwater tidal marsh that is found in coastal areas but rare along the Delaware River. The plants and animals that live in the marsh helps filter runoff water before it reaches the Delaware River.
“It’s a very special habitat, and that is why cleanups like this one are so important,” Fredebaugh explained.
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The winter cleanups give volunteers a chance to take away any trash without the summer flora getting in the way, Fredebaugh said.
Monday was the 10th annual Martin Luther King Jr. cleanup put on by the Heritage Conservancy. According to Fredebaugh, there are many people looking for volunteer opportunities on and around Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
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While the cold conditions likely kept some away on Monday, there were enough volunteers to work on the marsh, with some spare volunteers who worked at nearby Croydon Woods in Bristol Township, Fredebaugh said.
“When people care about the places where they live and spend time, they will take ownership in keeping the area trash free,” she said.
When the cleanups first began 10 years ago, there was a lot of trash being pulled out at every semi-annual cleanup. Large items like car frames and tires would come out of the marsh. Over the years, the marsh has remained mostly clear of large items and the cleanup is mainly focused on smaller clutter.
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Lots of volunteers came out to brace the cold and lend a hand to the marsh.
Todd Search, of Morrisville, brought his children out to volunteer. Search wanted to get out of the house with the kids and do some good and stumbled upon the volunteer event in Bristol.
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“I just think that it is a good way to give back,” Shannon Copenhaver, a regular volunteer for the Heritage Conservancy and Doylestown resident.
The regular cleanups also act as ways of educating people about the environments in their own backyard, Fredebaugh said.
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In addition to a number of volunteers, Hermitage Conservancy board directer Douglas Carr helped cleanup the marsh.
