Mianus River Gorge (MRG) will host a river cleanup on July 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., beginning and ending at Bedford Village Memorial Park, located at 65 Greenwich Road in Bedford.

The Mianus River is one of a number of coastal rivers that empty into Long Island Sound at Cos Cob Harbor in southwest Connecticut. Its headwaters in North Castle and Bedford drain to the Bargh Reservoir, which provides drinking water for the communities of Greenwich, Stamford, Port Chester, Rye and Rye Brook. MRG helps protect the watershed that contributes to the health of the aquifer supplying local wells in other communities and the Mianus River itself.

With the help of staff, trustees, donors and volunteers like scout troops, soccer teams, high school environmental clubs and members of the general public, MRG is organizing a cleanup along a major portion of the Mianus River. MRG will map and assign half-mile sections of the river to groups of volunteers who, armed with garbage bags, work gloves and insect repellant, will remove trash and other discarded objects—from Mylar balloons to discarded tires—in and along the river.

Volunteers will work in groups of 10, each with a team leader. They will pull large items and filled garbage bags to the roadside, where MRG staff will pick them up and haul them back to the park for disposal. Refreshments and clean River Clean-Up T-shirts will be distributed at the end of the workday.

For more info, visit Mianus.org.