APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – Over 1,800 volunteers showed up across more than 70 cleanup sites Saturday for the annual Fox-Wolf Watershed Cleanup, one of northeast Wisconsin’s largest environmental volunteer efforts.
“Excited to welcome over 1,800 volunteers to over 70 sites around the Fox-Wolf basin,” one organizer said. “We’ve got sites from New London down to Fond du Lac, from Green Bay over to the Greenville area.”
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Cleanup sites quickly filled up after registration opened, prompting organizers to expand the event.
“It’s amazing to see people turn out. We had some of our sites fill up on the day that registration opened. So we had to look for new sites. Last year, we had about 60 sites. This year we are up to 70,” they added.
Volunteers spent the morning removing litter and debris from public spaces and waterways, helping reduce pollution and improve water quality across the watershed.
“Today, we are focusing on trash, and what’s exciting is when people show up, it shows that they care about removing trash and about the work that we are doing to protect the water quality.”
The cleanup also highlights concerns about phosphorus in local waterways.
“Our water quality suffers from a thing called phosphorus. It’s a nutrient in all living things and when it gets into our waterways, that nutrient helps the algae grow.”
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Organizers say events like this are about more than just cleaning up trash, they’re about protecting a shared natural resource.
“We love our waterways, whether it’s to recreate on them or near them, so good for our well-being. So, to protect our water resources and make sure they are usable for us and future generations is really important to our region.”
