Cobbossee Stream, downtown Gardiner, targeted in cleanup efforts
6 of 6
Sharon Whittier, picks up trash Saturday along the banks of Cobbossee Stream under the new Bridge Street bridge in Gardiner. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
GARDINER — Dozens of volunteers picked up plastic coffee cups, cigarette butts, tires, construction debris, food wrappers, masks, and random bits of plastic and anything else found improperly discarded in a spring cleanup Saturday in downtown Gardiner and along Cobbossee Stream. Participants noted, however, that their efforts weren’t really just about cleaning up those two specific areas.
Saturday morning 676 pounds of garbage was collected by 31 volunteers who took part in a cleanup organized by Upstream, a local nonprofit dedicated to restoring sea-run fish passage on Cobbossee Stream. The cleanup was tied to the upcoming Earth Day and focused on cleaning up the Cobbossee Stream corridor. The group was not alone, though, as still more volunteers, organized by downtown advocacy organization Gardiner Main Street, also collected trash and debris Saturday, making for a large combined effort.