The banks of the Missouri River near Omaha and Council Bluffs will get some much needed TLC Saturday morning.
Missouri River Relief is a non-profit that organizes cleanups all along the 'Big Muddy,' and the group will be making a stop in the metro to give the banks and shores of the river a much needed cleaning.
Director Jeff Barrow says cleanup efforts in the Omaha metro have been extremely successful in the past. "The last time we were here in 2015 we had about 200 volunteers and they picked up 5.4 tons of trash, including 88 tires. It's incredible when you think about that volume."
Barrows says volunteers will hit areas about five miles up river from the Lewis and Clark Landing, and about five miles down river from the landing during the cleanup. "We'll have found places that are concentrated with trash and then we'll drop them off and they'll go work for one or two hours picking up trash. Mainly in the woods along the river, bagging it and anything that's too big to big we'll just pile it up on shore."
After the cleanup is done a free lunch will be provided back at the landing for volunteers at noon. Barrow says if people are interested they can stay a little longer to help finish the cleanup. "After lunch if people still want to help us, from 1:00 to about 4:00 we'll be hauling back the trash to waste bins. That's really a fun experience seeing all the trash we've collected."
If you are interested in volunteering you can meet the organizers at the Lewis and Clark Landing in downtown Omaha by 9:00 Saturday morning.
Come prepared with sturdy work boots or shoes and wear long pants as poison ivy is known to grow in the area. Volunteers will receive safety training before heading out and will be provided work gloves, trash bags, an event t-shirt and reusable water bottle.
For more information, visit the Missouri River Rescue website here.