Keep Covington Beautiful is sponsoring the annual Bogue Falaya River Sweep, a litter clean-up on the Bogue Falaya River, on Saturday, April 5th. KCB will partner with the Mayor’s Council on Health & Wellness and the City of Covington for the event.
KCB invites volunteers to bring their canoes & kayaks to the Menetre (4th Avenue) Boat Launch at 8:00 a.m. KCB will provide trash bags, gloves & litter grabbers for the paddlers, who will collect litter in & along the river from the boat launch to the Boston Street Bridge & back to Bogue Falaya Park.
As much as eighty percent of all litter and debris in our oceans, rivers and lakes originates on land, carried there by wind and storm water run-off. The rivers that define the city of Covington are essential to its unique character. Join KCB to help keep this scenic river clean!
The Covington Clean & Green River Run canoe, kayak and stand up paddleboard races will follow the River Sweep cleanup. The races will benefit KCB’s major project, the Blue Swamp Creek Nature Trail. In addition to the nature trail, race proceeds will support Keep Covington Beautiful’s other projects: Arbor Day Tree Give-away, educational seminars, litter prevention projects and recycling at local events, such as the Three Rivers Art Festival.
Paddlers and volunteers interested in helping with the clean-up or participating in the races are asked to sign up by March 30th by contacting KCB at 985-867-3652 or kcb@covla.com. A limited number of canoes and kayaks will be available for both of the events. They will be assigned as paddlers sign up. Event day volunteers & paddlers are always welcome but canoe/kayak availability cannot be guaranteed. Entries received for the cancelled 2013 event are still valid. Please confirm that you would like to participate this year.
Race entry forms with race divisions and race sponsorship forms are available at www.keepcovingtonbeautiful.org or at Campbell’s Coffee, 516 S. Tyler. Entry forms, with payment by check only, can be mailed to KCB or dropped off at Campbell’s Coffee & Tea..
Personal flotation devices are required for all paddlers. All paddlers will be required to sign a waiver before participating in either event. Signature of parent or guardian required for youth under the age of 18, or if part of a group, by the organization’s authorized adult sponsor.
Volunteers are needed to assist with signing in the paddlers at the boat launch, with setting up the picnic, with helping paddlers unload their catch at the park, as well as with the race. All volunteers, clean-up paddlers and race participants are invited to a picnic at the Bogue Falaya Park small pavilion following the races. Prizes will be given for the largest item and the most unusual item collected in the clean-up and to winners of all race divisions.
Everyone is invited to come by the park to watch the events, to meet KCB members and volunteers & to learn how to get involved with KCB’s beautification, environmental education, recycling and litter prevention efforts. Visit KCB’s website for more info and like them on Facebook.
