River Watchers looking toward future goals, more

HERMITAGE, Pa. (WKBN) — The Shenango River Watchers met to discuss their accomplishments from last year and what the future holds Wednesday evening.

For 23 years, the Shenango River Watchers have worked to beautify and restore the Shenango River. Since the group began back in 2001, it’s picked up over 2 million pounds of trash along the watershed, which covers three counties in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Just this past year, the nonprofit organization cleaned up 1,300 tires in the river and nearby yards.

“We do a lot of our cleanups on land to help prevent all that trash from getting in to the waterway,” said Monica King, director of operations.

Cleanup can be expensive. The group gets some help from grants and fundraising. Last year, they raised over $40,000 to help continue cleaning up the river.

Conducting more research is another goal for the group, like continuing to test the water quality.

“Most people in the Shenango Valley get their water from the Shenango River, as well as people downstream of us, in New Castle,” King said.

Over the past 20 years, the fish habitat and biodiversity increased in the river.

For the first time ever, the river watchers will hold a trail race on the Shenango Trail.

“We’ve been maintaining that trail since 2018. We’ve done a lot of improvements,” King said. “That trail race will be a fundraiser to help us continue to improve the trail.”

The river watchers are constantly in need of volunteers for their cleanup efforts and hope the community continues to support the revitalization of the river . Those interested in volunteering can reach out to info@shenangoriverwatchers.org or go to the volunteer page on their website .

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