Stephanie McColaugh, founder of the Clean Up Everett organization, thanked Mayor Robert Van Campen and the residents of Everett for the successful Clean Up Everett event held in coordination with Earth Day on April 25 at Gateway Park.
“Clean Up Everett is deeply grateful to the more than 200 residents of Everett, Mayor Van Campen and his administration—as well as DPW, Facilities and Maintenance, Tom Philbin, the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA), and Casey-Lee Bastien with BSC for coming together to make this event a success,” said McColaugh. “BSC and MyRWA led the planting efforts, while Clean Up Everett led the cleanup activities.
“We also appreciate the many community partners who joined us, including the New England Revolution, the Eliot Family Resource Center, LUMA, Electrify Everett, and so many other wonderful organizations.
“Together, we removed a tremendous amount of trash from the riverbanks and the surrounding park areas throughout Gateway Park, spanning over a mile of trails and collecting everything from discarded couches and car bumpers, to plastic wrappers, totaling approximately 800 cubic feet of litter. We hope this event helps raise awareness of what an incredible community asset Gateway Park is, while also drawing attention to the ongoing littering and pollution challenges that affect Everett. Increased awareness through events like Earth Day are a crucial step toward meaningful change.
“Clean Up Everett hosted 15 cleanups last year and continues to host at least one cleanup each month—please consider joining us to keep Everett clean, safe, and beautiful,” concluded McColaugh.
Daria Santollani of the Mystic River Watershed Association said, “MyRWA was thrilled to be part of this community effort to care for the Gateway Park area in honor of Earth Day. It was great to see familiar and new faces learning about this important green space in Everett. This park is undergoing a transformation to build a healthy wetland habitat, construct new trails, reduce pollution, and increase flood storage. We are so grateful for the community action and partnership making this transformation possible.”
“We planted several hundred native trees and shrubs, more than 12 species selected for their air quality benefits and food for wildlife,” said Casey Lee Bastien of BSC Group.