42 Tires...Two and a Half Hours

Of course there were more than just tires. There was all kinds of rusted old stuff. That’s what really caught my eye and compelled me to stop and find out what was going on.

I was taking what I call the back way from Elkridge to Ellicott City this afternoon. This route takes me down Montgomery Road, Landing Road, Illchester Road and River Road. It was on River Road that I spotted the pile.

This afternoon, twenty volunteers spent their afternoon pulling garbage out of the Patapsco River. They pulled out carpets, bicycles, and tires, all anchored down in the heavy silt of the riverbed. It was akin to prospecting for garbage.

So who were these people?

I asked around as to who was in charge and that eventually led me to Dan Kovalsky. He told me that roughly 15 of the volunteers were employees of Constellation Energy and the other were members of the Friends of the Patapsco Valley and  Heritage Greenway. Constellation also contributed $5,000.00 towards cleaning up the river with what they call an “EcoStar Grant.”

One of the Constellation employees also told me that for every ten hours of volunteerism a Constellation employee performs, the company provides a $100 donation to the charity of that employee’s choice.

“I designate my church,” he shared.

Dan also wanted to me to note that the effort was grealtly aided by Brody and Katy Spade. Brody and Katy live along the river not far from the cleanup site. They know that portion of the Patapsco as well as anyone and knew where to direct the cleanup effort for maximum effect.

As an old dog who loves the old river, today’s effort and EcoStar Grant are very much appreciated.