Explore Outdoors: Susquehanna River cleanup
"Leave no trace" is a way of saying "don't litter." When you are outside, you should leave with whatever you brought with you.
Unfortunately, that is not what is happening, as News 8's Matt Barcaro discovered in this week's "Explore Outdoors."
The Susquehanna River is a treasure at the heart of our community.
It's one of the oldest rivers in the world and has served as a consistent source of habitat, recreation and beauty for hundreds upon hundreds of years.
But the river can't be taken for granted because it's not guaranteed to stay this way.
That's why John Naylor is so worried.
He's on the waters every week but he doesn't paddle just for fun anymore. He picks up trash.
"This may be one generation too late, but I'm going to do what I can to make a difference," Naylor said.
Naylor picks up everything from bottles and Styrofoam to shoes and tires.
Some items wash downstream, while others are left there.
"Here's a fishing worms container. You would think that the people that love the outdoors so much to come out and harvest fish would take these things home with them," Naylor said.
Naylor has taken it upon himself to clean up the river on his own time and to recruit others to help him.
He has been keeping a running tally of his trash hauls and documenting them on Instagram.
Hundreds of pieces of plastic were picked up during each trip. More than 100 tires were pulled from the river in just June.
In a little over three months, Naylor and volunteers took 10 tons of trash from the Susquehanna River, and there's so much more still out there.
"I might get down or discouraged for a day. Absolutely. But I'd rather come back and do a little bit more, one more time, and maybe influence one more person," Naylor said.
That's why he does it: to show that one person with some time and tools can make a difference.
But Naylor hopes it isn't left up to him alone. He wants to see everyone helping by picking up after themselves. He also encourages people to consider limiting how many single-use plastics they use and buy.
"Pick up behind you and leave it a little bit better. If we can get more people on board with that theory, that would go a long way to improving our environment," Naylor said.
Until then, Naylor and his canoe will be on the water, patrolling for plastic.
"At the end of the day, it's absolutely gorgeous down here," he said.
In less than an hour, Naylor, Matt and WGAL photojournalist Kenny Maryott collected three bags of trash, three tires, and two tanks.
Naylor has partnered with the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper to get a dumpster and hauling arrangement for the trash he collects.
Send us your suggestions
If there's a place in the Susquehanna Valley that Matt should check out or activity he should try, email us at news8@wgal.com.
