EAST PENNSBORO TOWNSHIP, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. - The Conodoguinet Creek is nominated for the 2019 Pennsylvania River of the Year. Up against Clarion, Lackawanna and Delaware rivers, the winner will receive a $10,000 grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
"It can push us into the 21st century as a large organization that can reach out to more people," said Lisa Beatty, Conodoguinet Creek Watershed Association President. "And also get more people involved in volunteering and education and conservation."
The grant would be used for education and cleanup of the creek, which the association is already committed to. They hold five cleanups a year and planted 330 trees in 2018 to help reduce pollution.
"The biggest things we find now is electronic waste because people don't know what to do with their old TVs," said Beatty. "And that's really important because there's things like mercury in old TVs, so us taking that out of the creek really helps the environment."
Beatty says helping depollute the waterway is important because it flows into the Susquehanna River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay.
"We are impacting," said Beatty. "Every piece of trash that goes into the Conodoguinet ends up in the ocean."
To win the grant, the association needs people to vote for them by January 4th, 2019. More information on the nominees and how to vote can be found here.
