Monday, June 4, 2007

"Volunteers are strongly encouraged to pre-register so projects in different geographical areas may be better planned," said Piers Beirne, project organizer. "Trash will be collected, documented and sorted for disposal."

Volunteers will be working from noon to 4 p.m., he said.

"Merrymeeting Bay drains nearly 40 percent of Maine, and with all that water comes plenty of trash, often held here by tides, circulation patterns and vegetation," he said. "Cleaning up America's waterways has, in recent years, not only become an issue of aesthetics in outdoor recreation but a matter of clean water and public health. Improperly discarded waste contributes to contaminated drinking water and adversely affects wildlife."

The Merrymeeting Bay cleanup is part of National River Cleanup Week, in which 40,000 volunteers are expected to participate across the country.

The cleanup project is part of a series of activities put on by the organization. Volunteers are scheduled to gather at Merrymeeting Bay Sanctuary, Abbagadassett Point, Bowdoinham.

Beirne can be reached at 666-8218 by phone or beirne@maine. edu by e-mail.

Friends of Merrymeeting Bay Executive Coordinator John Eder can be reached at 871-0317 or fomb@gwi.net