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Organizers are hoping for a record turnout at the Christina River Watershed Cleanup. This comes just five weeks before the king and queen of Sweden arrive to celebrate the 375th anniversary of New Sweden’s founding by Queen Christina, for whom the Christina River is named.
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silva likely will stay in South Wilmington. However, organizers say it is important to collect litter at all nine sites across New Castle County.
?Dozens of volunteers will clean up the Christina Riverfront, but the only way to keep it clean is to get the trash upstream, at its source? said Shirley Posey, the event’s coordinator. ?That’s why we?ve identified a number of key cleanup sites located upriver, between Newark and Wilmington.?
Volunteers are needed at four sites along the White Clay Creek between Newark and Stanton, as well as two sites in Brandywine Hundred and Fox Point near Naamans Creek and the Delaware River. They are also needed at five sites on the Christina River. These include one in Newark, two in Newport, and two in downtown Wilmington. Volunteers can register online at ChristinaRiverCleanup.org, or by calling 302.838.1897. Gloves, trash bags, and other necessities will be available.
?We appreciate all those working to beautify the city in advance of our celebration and its royal visit,? said Janet Anderson, president of the New Sweden Centre. ?This includes the hundreds of volunteers chipping in to make the Christina look like it did 375 years ago, when colonists first arrived.?
Participants at this year’s cleanup will receive a free t-shirt, while supplies last. This will feature the winning drawing from an annual design contest for students. This year’s winner was 11th-grader Daniel Cortes of John Rykaczewski’s class at Delcastle Technical High School in Pike Creek, Delaware.
Sponsors for this year’s event include the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Christina Conservancy. Support is also being provided by the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and others. These include various agencies, businesses, and organizations from throughout the state.
The Christina River Watershed Cleanup will precede the Brandywine River Cleanup on April 20 and the Brandywine Creek Clean-up on April 27. These events will also help to clean up the Christina River, because the Brandywine River empties into the Christina River.
