After a day's hard work, the Cocheco River runs through it - with far less junk!

ROCHESTER - Young and old alike came out on Saturday to help clean up a river that was the lifeblood of the city in years gone by and now remains the heart of downtown.

The effort was undertaken by the Rochester Conservation Commission and Great Bay Trout Unlimited, whose members worked together to remove a potpourri of junk and debris from the riverbank of the Cocheco River.

"One of the challenges of the cleanup in the downtown area of the river is accessibility, as a 10-foot retaining wall separates street level from the Cocheco's shoreline," according to a release from the city. "Removing litter and large objects from this area required teamwork, with volunteers on the riverbank assisted by those stationed at the top of the wall."

Volunteers at the riverbank filled buckets with trash that were hauled up by others above. They also used rope to pull bulky items, such as a stroller, an old bicycle, and a table, out of the brush.

When asked about the day, Conservation Commission member Mark Jennings smiled and said "he had fun dropping the bucket and pulling up the items collected," the release states.

Great Bay Trout Unlimited Conservation Chair Jake Reynolds stated that the organization is "very excited and happy to be partnering with the Rochester Conservation Commission to clean up and make a difference in the Cocheco River watershed."
The Great Bay Chapter aims to partner with a new municipality each year, conducting several small river cleanups throughout the fall and ultimately co-hosting a large-scale "River Day" event in late spring focused on watershed conservation and education.

This sentiment was shared by Great Bay Trout Unlimited member Michael Dietsch, who said that it was a "good day on the water, and [he] enjoys doing something good for the community and environment."

City Councilor and Vice Chair of the Conservation Commission Kevin Sullivan summarized the event by saying, "We did a lot with just a few people." He noted that times of low river flow are good opportunities for this type of work and that he "looked forward to seeing more volunteers at the next event on Oct. 18," which will take place at 710 Columbus Ave., Rochester.

That cleanup effort begins at 8:30 a.m. Participants are encouraged to bring drinking water and gloves, and to wear long pants, long sleeves, and sturdy footwear.

For questions, please contact either Renee McIsaac at renee.mcisaac@rochesternh.gov or Jake Reynolds at jake.reynolds@comcast.net.

For Rochester Conservation Commission updates, visit www.rochesternh.gov/conservation-commission. For Great Bay Trout Unlimited events and updates, visit https://greatbaytu.blogspot.com.