UPPER DELAWARE RIVER — A refreshing spring cleaning of the bi-state Upper Delaware River Valley will be powered by volunteers who sign up to organize and participate in litter pick-up events throughout the Earth Month of April. All helpers will receive safety bright team T-shirts featuring a “Don’t Be Trashy!” design by 2025 artwork contest winner Bonnie Matthews of Narrowsburg, NY. 

This year’s Upper Delaware Council’s (UDC) fifth annual Upper Delaware Litter Sweep is dedicated to Ruth M. Jones, dubbed “The Queen of the Delaware,” who passed away this year on February 13 at the age of 92.

In 1990, this second-generation owner of Kittatinny Canoes and Campgrounds organized the first “On and Under the Delaware River Clean-up,” which won two first-place Take Pride in America Awards bestowed at the White House, as well as several recreation achievement honors at the UDC’s River Valley Awards.

The UDC’s Litter Sweep is strictly land-based, within the 15 New York towns and Pennsylvania townships surrounding the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. An ongoing calendar with confirmed cleanup dates is posted at www.upperdelawarecouncil.org.

Contact UDC Administrative Support staff member Stephanie Driscoll at 845/252-3022 or stephanie@upperdelawarecouncil.org to sign up as a litter leader or volunteer.