Citizen action groups, River Action is one, would not exist without volunteers. Our mission, fostering environmental, economic and cultural vitality of the Mississippi River and its riverfront could not be realized without citizens giving the talent of time.
Volunteerism comes in many forms, from planning and running events to spending a few hours picking up trash. Any amount of time is beneficial to the health of the environment and the community or the success of an initiative. A large aspect of donating time along the Mississippi comes in the form of environmental stewardship.
In this country, Earth Day is the perfect time to get involved in volunteering and helping the environment. In the Quad Cities, it is an opportunity to discover how beautiful our paths are and help make them more beautiful. This year, clean-up events are happening on Saturday April 23, along the riverfront. In each city, Bettendorf, Davenport, Riverdale, Rock Island, Moline, East Moline, Hampton, Rapids City, Port Byron, and Cordova citizens are invited to pick a portion of the path and pick up litter. We also suggest that you download a mobile debris tracker to help us keep track of the kinds of plastic you pick up. This mobile app, bags, and gloves are available at River Action or at strategic points along the paths. Go to Riveraction.org to learn more about Adopt-a-Path for Earth Day.
While these spring clean-ups are important, ongoing maintenance is, too. A way to address that is through River Action’s year-round program Adopt-a-Path. It is a program in which individuals or an organization can adopt a half-mile long section of the Mississippi River Trail in Illinois or Iowa, or the Duck Creek Recreation trail in Iowa to maintain and keep clean. Through this collaborative effort, Quad Cities trails and communities are kept beautiful and healthy. We purport “Healthy Trails--Healthy Communities”, and our volunteer crews through their actions attest to it, too. Go to riveraction.org/Adopt-a-Path to sign up for a half-mile section.