Keep Bedford County Beautiful has received a stewardship grant award of $5,000 from REI. The grant money will be used to assist in stewardship efforts along the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River and will include tire recycling, roll-off container rental, trash hauling, landfill fees, cleanup supplies and equipment, and volunteer support.
The funding will support Keep Bedford County Beautiful’s annual Stream Sweep during the 2014 low water season and the 2015 Earth Day celebration/cleanup the following spring. Low water cleanups will include targeting areas where significant numbers of tires are known to be within the stream channel.
Keep Bedford County Beautiful is expanding the target area from the traditional 13 mile segment to approximately 60 miles of river. Some of the target areas are adjacent to Huntingdon and Broad Top Rail Trail that parallels the Raystown Branch, a state designated water trail popular with paddlers and the site of paddling events organized by the Raystown Canoe Club and others.
The removal of trash and tires will improve safety for paddlers and other water contact activities such as fishing and swimming, and will enhance aesthetic values associated with these activities as well as for day hikers and cyclists using the rail trail. These advantages are in addition to the benefits to water quality and wildlife habitat.
Keep Bedford County Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, has played a role in the annual cleanup efforts of the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River since 2002.
