(Host) Central Vermont Public Service will clean up the Chittenden Reservoir over the weekend and is inviting the public to help.
As VPR’s Nina Keck reports, there’s no rain in the forecast, which means hundreds will probably turn out.
(Keck) Chittenden reservoir was built in 1908 to produce hydro-electric power. Nestled in the mountains, most of its 16 miles of shoreline is undeveloped.
Steve Costello of CVPS says it’s one of the last unspoiled lakes in Vermont.
(Costello) “The first time I visited the reservoir I was just shocked by how beautiful it was and how undeveloped it was. And there’s an incredible variety of wildlife there on any given day, including bald eagles, ospreys, loons, moose, deer and a whole variety of other birds and mammals.”
(Keck) Costello says CVPS organized the first clean ups three years ago as a way to bring people together and celebrate the local resource.
(Costello) “The interesting thing is, we’ve collected less and less trash each year since we started. The first year we collected we think about 2.5 to 3 tons of garbage. Much of it, very old, had been there in some cases for a couple decades. And as it’s been cleaned, people have left less and less trash each year. So it really is having the impact that we wanted it to have as far as a clean up.”
(Keck) Costello encourages anyone who wants to take part to bring their canoes and kayaks.
For VPR News, I’m Nina Keck in Chittenden.