Volunteers across New York state are invited to join the 21st annual Canal Clean Sweep, the state’s largest Earth Day clean-up event, taking place April 17-19. This year, more than 100 clean-up events along the 524-mile New York State Canal System and the 400-mile Canalway Trail are expected to engage more than 2,500 volunteers, according to Parks & Trails New York.
In eastern Niagara County, currently there are five registered Canal Clean Sweep events that are open to the public. Sign up through the interactive map at www.ptny.org/events/canal-clean-sweep to volunteer at any of these locations:
• Lockport Locks Heritage District, 9 a.m. to noon April 18. Meet up in the Canal Street parking lot to commence cleanup of litter and debris on Canal Street and the area around the historic locks, Old City Hall, historic Spalding Mill, the Main Street Mural and the Market Street parks. Rain date is April 25.
• Upson Park, Lockport, noon to 1 p.m. April 19. Meet up at the park to clean up debris/trash around the park area and along the Erie Canal. Bring your own clothes, rakes, etc.; wear boots as it tends to be wet. The organizer, First Presbyterian Church, will provide trash bags. Rain date is April 26.
• Gasport, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 18. Starting at 8464 Telegraph Road, a crew will clean up the public area on the south side of the canal along Telegraph Road, from the No. 17 guard gate to the Root Road bridge. The organizer suggests: “Bring gloves and those Harbor Freight grabber tools work awesome.”
• Middleport, 8:30 to 11 a.m. April 18, organized by the Middleport Beautification Committee. Meet up behind the Middleport fire hall on Main Street, to clean up the area on and around the canal in the village. The committee will provide some yard tools and bags; volunteers are encouraged to bring work gloves.
• Middleport, 9 to 11 a.m. April 18, host not listed. Meet up at the Middleport Lift Bridge, by the lift bridge operator building, to clean up that area. Rain date is April 25.
Canal Clean Sweep is organized by Parks & Trails New York in partnership with New York State Canal Corporation.