EASTON, Pa. — The Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage corridor stretches more than 100 miles — a lot of space to keep clean.
“Any support that we can get from the community to make it beautiful and keep it beautiful, that's really what we're looking to do,” said Alice Wanamaker, economic development manager for The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, the agency that oversees the D&L Trail.
“This gives them an opportunity to get out with their friends, have fun while doing it, make it into a little competition, which I always think makes everything more fun."Alice Wanamaker, economic development manager for The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor
DLNHC officials this month launched the Quest for the Golden Grabber, an effort to engage community members in a friendly competition while cleaning litter from the trail, which runs from just outside of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, to Bristol, Bucks County.
The group that collects the most trash will receive “the coveted,” D&L Trail-branded Golden Grabber trophy.
“This gives them an opportunity to get out with their friends, have fun while doing it, make it into a little competition, which I always think makes everything more fun,” Wanamaker said.
“And it's a great way to be able to enjoy the outdoors a little bit more if it's a little cleaner.”
‘Celebrate all month long’
The competition is free to enter, with the DLNHC providing supplies.
Participants can join a cleanup already scheduled, or can start their own by connecting with the local trail landowner.
For the latter, participants can email TCAssociate@delawareandlehigh.org to find out where to leave trash for pick up.
They also can get access to cleanup tools and to trash bags stored at the National Canal Museum, 750 Hugh Moore Park Road.
In its second year, the competition has expanded from a week to the entire month.
“All of April is Earth Month, so we want to celebrate all month long,” Wanamaker said. “If you're out here doing activities now, report them — be part of the contest.
“Maybe you can't get out on Earth Day, and you're doing it toward the end of the month, or you're just out on a random Wednesday.”
‘Celebrate all month long’
April is not only is Earth Month, but there are several other environmentally themed days this month: Earth Day on April 22, Arbor Day on April 25 and Celebrate Trails Day on April 26.
“We just said, 'We're going to open it all month.' We want to see what you guys come up with.”Alice Wanamaker, economic development manager for The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor
Two of those three days land on weekdays this year.
“We're seeing that people are split because when Earth Day falls — people are split between one weekend and the other,” she said.
“We just said, 'We're going to open it all month.' We want to see what you guys come up with.”
And officials want to know what unusual things people are finding during their cleanup.
“If it's like a vintage GI Joe, or you found a cool fork or whatever,” Wanamaker said.
“If you think it's unique — not your 275th cigarette butt — we want to know the unique things that people are finding out there.
“We're encouraging them to take pictures of them before they pick them up with the grabbers and throw them in the bag.”
Participants must submit their results with trash collection amounts and pictures before noon May 2, with the winning group slated to be announced May 9.
‘The exciting thing’
Last year’s quest ran from April 20 through April 28. Five groups participated, totaling 74 volunteers cleaning up more than 75 bags of trash.
“And it wasn't just, like, bags of garbage that were collected,” Wanamaker said. “There were tires that were either pulled out of the woods or pulled out of water.
“And we're just like, ‘OK, that was good enough to say, 'Let's do it again.’ Let's see if we can get everyone back from last year, and then maybe a couple more.”
“So that's the exciting thing. Not only did it re-engage people that have been doing this type of thing anyway, it got new folks out.”Alice Wanamaker, economic development manager for The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor
The winning group was from Nazareth Area High School, led by Olivia Davison. The group, which included 10 students, cleaned up Allentown Canal Park, removing 12 bags of litter from along the trail, river and edge of the canal.
“The groups that we did have come out, some of them were groups of folks who have done cleanups for us before,” Wanamaker said of last year’s competition.
“The group that actually won, they had never done a cleanup for us before, this group of high schoolers, and they got together and they did it.
“So that's the exciting thing. Not only did it re-engage people that have been doing this type of thing anyway, it got new folks out.”
Other groups cleaned Delaware Canal near Mueller General Store in Riegelsville, Slatington Trailhead & Slate Heritage Trail, Riverview Park Trailhead, Sand Island in Bethlehem and Hugh Moore Park.
