Archive of Clean-ups in the Parks of Bayonne, NJ during the year 2018. Year 2017 is below.
Bayonne Nature Club
Appreciating, protecting and improving urban nature sites.
January 13, 2018: In spite of high wind and cold temps, fifteen people came to our shoreline clean-up at 16th Street Park. 35 bags of trash were picked up along with 10 tires, a raft, a pallet, a grocery cart, various pieces of metal and plastic, a door, several buckets and, of course, hundreds of plastic bottles and bags.
We would like to thank Professor Theodore Lai and the students of Hudson County Community College and members of the Hackensack Riverkeeper along with the regulars from the Bayonne Nature Club for coming to this January clean-up in cold temperatures and windy conditions. You are truly ENVIRONMENTAL HEROES.
February 10, 2018 Seventeen Environmental Heroes picked up 35 bags of trash at Dennis P. Collins Park. Pictured are a few of the many volunteers. We gathered trash all the way up to the Bayonne Bridge. Photos by Maria Markatos.
March 24, 2018 shoreline clean-up at Rutkowski Park. Ten Environmental Heroes cleaned up 22 bags of garbage removing a variety of rubber and plastic sheets and barrels and buckets from the shore. Many plastic straws and potato chip bags were part of the trash along with a few hypodermic needles. From Left to Right: Nick, Bill H., Patricia Hilliard, John, Patti B., Tara, Tom, Jon, and Mike Ruscigno. Angel left before the photo was taken. Photo Credit: Mike A. with Patti Banks camera.
EARTH DAY, April 21, 2018. Twenty-two people picked up 31 bags of garbage and removed many plastic and metal items that floated into the park as part of the NJ Clean Communities program by removing trash in Rutkowski Park, a city park. Our team won the contest. The award? Lunch with the Mayor of Bayonne, Jimmy Davis.
May 4, 2018, Mike calls a "Pop-up Clean-up." Adela, Bill, Pat, Tom and Mike go into the marsh to clean up bottles and bottle caps off the "classroom" at Rutkowski Park. Ten bags of garbage and 2 pieces of junk were removed from the marsh. Photo by Patti Banks.
Left: June 9 Cleanup at Newark Bay Waterfront Walk. Fifteen Environmental Heroes cleaned up 31 bags of trash and pulled 13 items off the shoreline. Below: May 12, 2018 Shoreline Clean-up at 16th Street Park. We gave it a try and got 10 bags of trash but were rained out after an hour.
Below: July 13, 2018 "pop-up" clean-up at Rutkowski Park. A few of us got together to pick out those far flung bottles along the boardwalk.
July 28, 2018 Collins Park shoreline clean-up. Nine volunteers picked up 17 bags of trash, much of it was bottles for recycling and a wood pallet, a large piece of plyboard and pieces of plastic. As we worked more trash was washing ashore in the high tide. Below are Nora, Nick, Emelinda, Tom, Rodrigo, Bill and Mike. Not in the photo are Jennifer and Pat, the photographer.
Aug 14, 2018: Pat, Bill, Adella and Tom clean up eleven bags of trash from the shoreline at Ahern Vets Stadium Park. Mike helped too and took this photo.
At right, August 26, 2018, working with Hackensack Riverkeeper, members of the Bayonne Nature Club filled a dumpster with trash from upstream and all over Rutkowski Park's berm and trails. Afterward we enjoyed a pizza party.
Thirty people came to our Sept. 15, 2018 shoreline clean-up at 16th Street DiDomenico Park, including Scout Troop 25, a teacher and students, and City Council members Sharon Ashe-Nardrowski, Tom Cotter and Salvadore Gullace. Mayor Davis also stopped by. We gathered over 25 bags of trash, 3 large pallets, 1 10 ft beam and 700 pieces of broken glass. This clean up was done as part of our NJ Clean Communities effort, with the endorsement of City of Bayonne.
Oct. 20, 2018: With nine volunteers we picked up 15 bags of trash from the beach at Collins Park. Here we are at the base of the Bayonne Bridge.
November 17, 2018. We never tire of getting those tires out. Sixteen Environmental Heroes cleaned up 16th Street Park beach today. We picked up 24 bags of trash, 4 tires, 3 large pieces of plastic and many pounds of broken bottle glass, bottle tops, plastic bottles, bottle caps, and cigar tips. Group photo by Patti Banks.
December 15, 2018 Fifteen Environmental Heroes came to clean up 18 bags of garbage at the entrance of Rutkowski Park on a foggy winter morning. Various buckets, sheets of plastic and plastic toys were removed from the marsh along with the usual wrappers and foam cups.
Archive of Clean-ups 2017:
January 7th, Sixteenth Street Park: Snow! Eleven members, and Americorp Ambassador volunteer, cleaned up 13 bags of trash, one bread tray, 3 milk cartons, 1 sneaker, several large Styrofoam pieces.
February 18, Rutkowski Park. Thirteen members cleaned up 37 bags of trash, one tire with rim, 1 55-gal trash can, 4 5-gal buckets, large PVC pipe, 2 boat bumpers of rope. Milk crates, one deer skull and 7 large Styrofoam pieces.
April 22, Earth Day: Rutkowski Park. Eighteen members cleaned up 30 bags of trash, 1 wood pallet, 5 plastic milk crates, 3 5-gal buckets, 1 wet suit, 1 Christmas tree.
May 20, Rutkowski Park, using new ladders, eight members cleaned up 10 bags of trash. On Fishermen's trail we cleaned up 4 more bags of trash. Beach had 2 bags of trash. 4 bags from the front bay and one old tire.
June 14, pop-up at North end of 16th Street Park: two, John and Bill cleaned up 10 bags of trash plus 2 bags of recyclable trash of bottles, one wood pallet, large rope or ship line, 2 milk crates, long sheet of plastic, 1 pick-up truck back liner.
June 21, Ocean Terminal by the wall on south end. Six members cleaned up 9 bags of trash, a giant Styrofoam block, several large pieces of plastic, a hoola hoop, a puffer fish and 12 golf balls.
July 13 "pop-up" clean up. Seven members including John Cotter, city council member. 10 bags of trash and one bag of bottles for recycling. Also 20 feet of ship line, 1 wood pallet and several large wood pieces.
August 27 Rutkowski Park with the Hackensack Riverkeeper. Over 50 volunteers. Half a dumpster filled. We did from end to end of the park, including the parking lot.
September 16 Rutkowski Park - a City Cleanup Day. 15 volunteers picked up 15 bags of trash and one traffic cone.
October 24, pop-up clean up behind old A&P Grocery. 3 volunteers cleaned up 9 bags of trash, 1 1-gal can of paint.
November 11, at 16th Street Park, 8 volunteers cleaned up 18 bags of trash, 1 big tire, 2 large pieces of Styrofoam, 2 large cardboard boxes, 1 frozen jelly fish, very cold day, 23 degrees.
December 16, Snowed out. After 15 minutes we went home.
At Left: Earth Day clean up at Rutkowski Park April 22, 2017
At Right: Gary LaPelusa and daughter helping with clean up Sept. 16, 2017
At Right: August 17, 2017: Hackensack Riverkeeper volunteers use canoe to clean Rutkowski Park.
At Left: December 16, 2017: Snow Storm ends clean up after 15 minutes.
