Groundwork Hudson Valley is calling on Yonkers-area residents to help clean up the Saw Mill River this Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at five sites spanning Yonkers, Hastings-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley, and Elmsford.
The Saw Mill River runs nearly 30 miles through Westchester before emptying into the Hudson — and for Yonkers, it carries particular weight. Groundwork Hudson Valley, the Yonkers-based environmental nonprofit, was a founding member of the Saw Mill River Coalition, the multi-municipal partnership that has coordinated cleanup and restoration work along the waterway for more than two decades, including the celebrated daylighting projects that restored buried sections of the river to the surface in downtown Yonkers beginning in 2010.
Saturday’s cleanup is an annual event, and Karin Sosis, Groundwork’s executive director, said the goal is as much about awareness as it is about garbage bags.
“The Saw Mill River is a shared asset, a shared pleasure for all the communities, all the municipalities, from Yonkers going northward up river,” Sosis said. “It’s our responsibility to take care of it.”
Volunteers can choose from five sites: Walsh Road/War Memorial Field in Yonkers; Farragut Avenue in Hastings-on-Hudson; Lawrence Street in Dobbs Ferry; Saw Mill River Road in Ardsley; and W Main Street in Elmsford. The Ardsley site was listed as nearly full as of Tuesday. No experience or equipment is needed — Groundwork provides gloves, waders, and trash collection materials. Bring water, sunscreen, and clothes you don’t mind getting wet.
“This is our space,” Sosis said. “It’s our job to make sure that we’re minimizing flooding and maximizing enjoyment of this shared resource. We’d love to see everybody.”
Registration is free and available through Eventbrite at groundworkhv.org. Walk-ins are welcome, but registering in advance helps organizers prepare gear for each site.
