Clinton County CleanScapes
is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping citizens cleanup
our waterways and landscapes. Each year numerous volunteers
get together and participate in Clinton County CleanScapes's cleanup
efforts. Volunteers are always needed. If your
interested in learning about Clinton County CleanScapes or would
like to participate in a cleanup effort, please contact Project
Director Elisabeth Lynch of Clinton County CleanScapes at
ClintonCountyCleanscapes@yahoo.com and check out the links to the left
for event details and maps.
Clinton County CleanScapes offers caring community members safe and effective projects that restore our waterways and landscapes by removing man-made debris in Clinton & Lycoming Counties. These community cleanup efforts revive our public spaces & provide our residents, youth, and visitors with safer, cleaner and more viable areas to live in and recreate!
¤ Total number of CCC community cleanup events: 92
¤ Total number of volunteers that have joined CCC events: 2,967
¤ Total tonnage of man-made debris/litter removed: 1,155.39 (2,310,780 lbs.)
¤ Total number of tires collected & recycled: 8,754
¤ Total tonnage of metal collected & recycled: 23.45 (49,245 lbs.)
Principal Funding Sources Since 2000: Clinton Co. CleanScapes Annual Supporting Members, Clinton Co. Environmental Fund, Forest Lands Beautification Program (FLBP), PA Growing Greener, PA Dept. of Community & Economic Development (DCED) via PA Senator John Wozniak and PA Rep. Mike Hanna, Clean Up Our American Lands & Streams (COALS), Susquehanna River Basin Commission, Clinton Co. Community Foundation, First Community Foundation Partnership of PA/Williamsport-Lycoming Community Foundation, the William and Marbeth Foster Memorial, Keep PA Beautiful, Dominion, Comcast, Anadarko, Dominion Foundation, Liberty Tire Recycling, Range Resources, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy & the PA DEP Community Cleanup Program.
Upcoming Summer Waterway Community Cleanup Events!
Join Clinton County CleanScapes (CCC), Sunken Treasure Scuba Center and our partners during one or all of the following highly rewarding waterway events! Events are 4 hours in length & conclude with a complementary luncheon for all participants. (Youth under the age of 18 must attend with a participating adult.)
• July 28: 9th Annual West Branch Susquehanna River Community Cleanup Event, Woodward Township, Clinton County. • August 11: Loyalsock Creek Cleanup, Lycoming County – Site location will be announced in the near future. • September 8: West Branch Susquehanna River – 3rd Annual Great Island Adventure, Dunnstable Twp., Clinton County.
Cleanup participation offers 7 different activities that run from low to highly challenging. For details contact CCC.
1. Bake cookies for the after cleanup luncheon-the volunteers deeply appreciate this special treat!
2. Provide your pickup/dump truck to transport the collected tires from the riverbank to the roll-off dumpster (Advisory Notice: Truck will get muddy & scratches may occur!)
3. Wade with water Safety Captains & collect tires from the riverbed
4. Bring a flat bottom boat or canoe to transport tires from the river to the riverbank
5. Work on the riverbank & unload tires from the boats into the bed of pickup trucks
6. Snorkel/dive with Sunken Treasure Scuba Center members
7. Bring a camera & document the event for educational purposes!
Frequently asked questions from citizens to CleanScapes
"Why are there so many tires in our rivers?" Prior to 1985 there were no regulations against the act of stockpiling scrap tires and no tire recycling programs existed. To rectify this situation Pennsylvania Legislatures enacted the Waste Tire Recycling Act 190 in 1996. Before tire recycling, landfill operators generally did not accept waste tires since tires cannot be compacted and represented an inefficient use of landfill space. Lacking a viable location to dispose of waste tires, millions of tires were dumped in ravines, waterways, and stockpiled on low-lying areas of land such as riverbanks and wetlands. When a flood related event occurs the river level rises and the adjacent tire piles became dislodged and floated into the waterway. [According to the EPA Region 5 publication on "Scrap Tires in the Great Lakes Region", the United Sates now recycles 78 percent of the 281 million waste tires generated each year. For more information on Pennsylvania's Tire Recycling Program visit www.dep.state.pa.us keyword, "DEP Waste Tires".]
"How do I organize a roadway litter cleanup and who do I contact? How can I begin to adopt a roadway/trail system/school litter cleanup program…?" PennDot operates the state-wide "Adopt-A-Highway Program" on all state owned highways. This program offers citizens an effective way to maintain debris-free roadsides either through a one-time cleanup event or through PennDot's official adoption program. To adopt a two-mile section of roadway a volunteer group may sign a two-year agreement with PennDot. The group will hold a minimum of four cleanups annually. For each cleanup event PennDot will provide gloves, trash bags, orange safety vests, "Litter Crew Ahead" roadside signage, and will collect the filled trash bags soon thereafter. In addition, PennDot will erect signs along the roadway giving the group full credit for their community service commitment. Visit www.dot.state.pa.us keyword,
"Adopt-A-Highway" or contact your local PennDot office in Clinton County at 570-726-2200, or Lycoming County at
570-368-8686.
For additional adoption opportunities or to organize a litter cleanup for all other non-state owned roadsides, public
trail systems, or to learn about the "Litter Free School Zone Program" visit Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful at
www.keeppabeautiful.org keyword, "Adoption Program" or call 877-772-3673 extension 104.
"I found an illegal dumpsite/littered roadside pull-off/tires in a river...what should I do and who should I call?"
The first step is not to confront any local citizen/s or to personally investigate the site - leave those responsibilities to
regulatory/enforcement officials. The second step is to know and to be prepared to clearly describe where the dumpsite
or litter is located. This would include an adjacent street name and address, nearby crossroad/s, and municipal and
county designations. The third step is to contact and report the site to the local police department. Note: If the site
appears to have a toxin or may require an emergency response contact the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection's (PA DEP) northcentral regional office in Williamsport at 570-327-3636 and/or call 911.
If the problem area is not a safety or health hazard emergency and is not under the jurisdiction of a local police department, but
is located on public land/right-of-way contact the regional PA State Police office.
The trash lays on, in, or near surface water contact the PA Fish & Boat Commission.
The trash in on State Game Lands or on private property that is open to public hunting contact the PA Game Commission's
regional office.
The trash is on State Forest Land or State Park Land contact the associated PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry or Sate Park office.
To report an environmental concern or complaint contact PA DEP's Service Representative at 570-327-3564.
You may also consider contacting Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful (KPB) and report your concern. KPB is not an enforcement agency,
but they will forward your report to the applicable agency. For additional guidance, or to report a dumpsite/litter location visit
www.keeppabeautiful.org keyword, "Dumpsite".
"I found a dumpsite/tire stockpile on private property. Who do I call?" Contact the associated local police
department, municipal office, and/or elected official. After a reasonable length of time and if you are not satisfied with
their response, consider contacting a state enforcement agency.
"There is a privately owned residential property in my neighborhood that stockpiles trash all over their yard [e.g.
tires/trash/vehicles/appliances, etc.]. What can be done to clean it up?" Again, step number one - do not confront
the property owner or personally investigate the site - leave those responsibilities to regulatory/enforcement officials.
You may contact a state agency and ask if they are able to assist. The state agency may recommend you report your
concern to the local municipal government. Either way it is always recommended that the local municipal government
representatives are aware of the situation. If the local municipal representatives/enforcement agency are unable to
assist you due to legal issues, etc. you may consider requesting your local elected officials review a model ordinance
that is written to regulate open storage on private property. If you would like an electronic copy of the model
ordinance titled, "Open Storage on Private Property" submit your request to clintoncountycleanscapes@yahoo.com
with the understanding that CleanScapes and their affiliates did not compose the model ordinance, claims no
responsibly for its content, and will not guarantee the ordinance's effectiveness upon adoption. [The model ordinance
template CleanScapes will provide is based upon a similar version adopted by a local municipality in Clinton County.
CleanScapes' publication is an educational tool that is intended to be utilized as an informational resource.]
"How do I dispose of trash/recyclables/tires/electronics/household hazardous waste/woody debris…?" For detailed
information on accepted materials and proper disposal guidance contact your local landfill facility. For the landfill
facility in Clinton County contact the Wayne Township Landfill in McElhattan at www.waynetwplandfill.com, 570-
769-6977 or 888-306-8781. In Lycoming County contact the Lycoming County Resource Management Services in
Montgomery at www.lyco.org keyword, "Landfill" or 800-326-9571.
Clinton County CleanScapes and their affiliate Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful are non-profit community service
organizations and are not enforcement agencies, but we do support the enforcement of all laws against dumping
and littering. The information provided is current as of publication and is intended as a community resource. If
you find an inaccuracy, have an update, or would like to comment contact CleanScapes.
SUSQUEHANNA
CLEANUP AND GREAT ISLAND ADVENTURE
Starting in 2006,
Clinton County CleanScapes of Clinton County has secured 2 grants
totaling $11,000.00 to remove man-made debris in the West Branch
Susquehanna River over a 2 year period. If you find a site in
Lycoming or Clinton Co. - floodplain or in the river itself, please
contact me so I can add it to the cleanup list.
Dr. John D. Reid, Ph.D
Professor of Physics
Lock Haven University
Ulmer 226
Lock Haven, PA 17745
(570) 484-2078 (w)
(570) 748-1655 (h)
http://www.lhup.edu/jreid
Scott Koser
Clinton County Conservation District, Watershed
Specialist/Education Coordinator
45 Cooperation Lane
Mill Hall, PA 17751-9543
(570) 726-3798 (w)
(570) 279-7863 (c)
www.clintoncountypa.com/conserve
Dr. Lester G. Kleckner, Retired Professor/Lloyd
Wilson Chapter Trout Unlimited Board Member
230 North Fairview Street
Lock Haven, PA 17745
(570) 748-2308
Project Director
Elisabeth Lynch-McCoy
Garden Building 3rd Floor
232 East Main Street
Lock Haven, PA 17745
(570) 726-3511
