New for 2005 is a focus on educating and involving children in the effort. A contest for students will ask them to respond to the question "Where does the trash come from?" to broaden the educational reach of NRCW. There are also prizes of canoes, kayaks, and other gear for cleanup groups participating in a photo and publicity contest.

NRCW now in its 14th year has had great success in turning out volunteers for the event. Some of the comments from previous efforts:

"A huge success! Direct contact with groups and individuals involved in previous cleanup resulted in the largest turnout ever." Molalla River Watch, Molalla, OR

"A good community event. We appreciate your coordination and the trash bags!" Trey Gibbs, Smyrna, GA

"Great opportunity to work with outside groups. Many families come each year, even from neighboring towns." Riverforest Park District, Riverforest, IL.

"We try to educate the community all year long. We always have good community involvement." Tule River Indian Reservation Environmental Dpt., Porterville, CA

Sponsors include Old Town, Extrasport, Wilderness Systems, Thule, Lotus, Watermark, Hooked on the Outdoors, Canoe & Kayak, Paddler, and the Shimoda Group. America Outdoors, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation return as major sponsors of the event. Additional support is provided by W.L. Gore & Associates, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, the American Canoe Association, and a generous grant from the Trull Foundation.

NRCW began the event in 1992. Since then 430,000 volunteers have participated in nearly 5,000 cleanups covering over 88,000 miles of waterways. America Outdoors, a national association of outfitters and guides, donates staff and office resources to coordinate the event. National River Cleanup Week, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation.

Learn more and register a cleanup online at http://www.nationalrivercleanup.com/ or call the NRCW office for a registration form. 865-558-3595.

Source: National River Cleanup Week

CONTACT: David Brown, +1-865-558-3595, or
info@nationalrivercleanup.com , for National River Cleanup Week

Web site: http://www.nationalrivercleanup.com/