Metro-North and Riverkeeper Partner to Clean up Oscawana Island

In a preview of much more to come, the 2014 Riverkeeper Sweep got off to an early start April 16 when Metro-North Railroad cleaned up an area of Oscawana Island in the Town of Cortlandt where anonymous dumping had occurred over the years. The town assisted in the cleanup.

More than a ton of scrap metal, trash and other items was removed, and half of it recycled, on April 16.

The 2014 Riverkeeper Sweep, our third annual day of service for the Hudson River, is Saturday, May 10. Hundreds of volunteers will help clean up shorelines, plant trees and restore habitats at 80 locations between New York City and the Capital District.

Metro-North is among the cleanup partners on May 10, as well. Riverkeeper volunteers will return to Travis Cove in Peekskill to clean up the shoreline where volunteers removed nearly 6 tons of trash in September to help prepare the area for the expansion of a pedestrian walking trail connecting Riverfront Green and Charles Point parks. The City of Peekskill is assisting in that cleanup. (Register here to help out!)

Due to danger from proximity to the commuter rail tracks, no volunteers assisted in the April 16 cleanup — but volunteers were instrumental in making it happen. During the 2013 Riverkeeper Sweep cleanup at Oscawana Island, organized by volunteers from the Green Sanctuary Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church, volunteers spotted the area in need of a cleanup.

Metro-North generously deployed the right contractors and equipment to remove trash that included old machinery, and Town of Cortlandt paid for the hauling of the trash. Riverkeeper helped coordinate the partners necessary to see the area cleaned up, and we’re grateful to our partners for helping to clean our great river.