Staff Cleanup July 10

Our Canoe Adventure (and Misadventure!)

Thanks to a grant from Citizens NYC, HRRP was able to purchase a canoe to kick off our new canoe-based cleanup initiative. The original plan was to launch near the Hutch, but we quickly learned we don’t actually have water access nearby—and paddling across the bay to reach the river takes about 45 minutes one way. So… scratch that idea (for now)!

But we didn’t give up. Instead, we towed the canoe out to the Hutch and wanted to use it to reach into the reeds and shallow mud flats. It turned out to be a great garbage barge instead—we hauled out a car door, some car parts, and it worked like a charm!

This pilot trip was done by HRRP staff, interns, and board members only, as we tested logistics and safety.

That said, we learned a lot:

• The tide was too low when we launched, and too high when we returned.

• Figuring out roles, equipment, and coordination took time.

• We only had about 1–2 hours for actual cleanup... but still managed to collect 200–300 lbs of trash!

We’re using everything we learned to plan more boat-based cleanups with volunteers—so keep an eye out for floating cleanups next season!