Jim Wright, Communications Officer for the Meadowlands Commission, said, “It’s great to see groups working together to accomplish so much in just a few hours. The Kearny Marsh is on the rebound, and it is wonderful that so many volunteers are helping that recovery, not only by cleaning up so much trash, but by clearing the trail as well.”

If you haven’t cut back on your plastic container usage yet, you would if saw the masses of plastic bags that collect at the marsh. Plastic bags can be deadly to birds and other wildlife that sometimes ingest the bags or get tangled in them.

As we would pick up one plastic bag at the marsh, there would be another, and then another, accumulated either from being washed in from storms or from people discarding or dumping them there. This is something to think about the next time you do your shopping.

As far as plastic bottles go, they may be convenient, but when empty, about 75% never get to a recycling center. They are either sent to landfills or just left behind in the environment.

As hard as the work was, things are getting better at the marsh. Last year, the clean-up was much tougher. People are beginning to care more and volunteers are working all year round to help make it better.

Hadel Go, a hardworking volunteer, said it perfectly. “As long as I can remember nature has been there for me like an old friend, and it was my opportunity to give something back. Kearny Marsh is home to many critters. They deserve a good, healthy place to live. A cleaner marsh will attract more people giving it a chance to be appreciated and cared for, and of course, I enjoyed it too!”

As the morning turned to afternoon, volunteers in canoes and on foot arrived to unload the results of their hard work. All of them were covered in mud, but when you looked close at their smiling faces, dirt and all, they had a satisfied look about them. They all knew that they had done something special. They cleaned up a wonderful natural area, saved some wildlife and did their souls some good as well.