4th of July

Small Army Of Volunteers Keeps The Charles Clean

Part of WBZ-TV's 'American Spirit' Series

BOSTON (WBZ) ― It's the American spirit at work, to see a problem, and not look the other way. That's what a hardy bunch of volunteers is doing on the Charles River. They're on a mission aboard the "Charles River Clean Up Boat," making a difference for all of us.

The Charles River flows snakelike, through nearly 60 cities and town. Once almost hopelessly polluted, the river is making a remarkable comeback.

"The river is the glue that holds the whole metropolitan area together," says Tom McNichol as he steers the Clean Up Boat away from it's dock at the Watertown Yacht Club.

McNichol loves being out on the river, but 4 years ago he got fed up. "There were islands of trash floating back and forth across the Charles River," he says. Tom and a couple of friends figured they could help. "We just saw the trash and we wanted to get it out," he adds. And the Charles River Clean Up Boat was born.

Four days a week, from April to October, volunteers cruise the river scooping up all manner of debris; trash, bottles, cans and bags. They've also pulled out some unusual items. "We got a 2 foot high Buddha, a carved wooden Buddha," says project founder Tom McNichol. "The Museum of Fine Arts says it was carved in the late 1800's, and it's worth about 200 bucks," he adds. "We got a stuffed chair, soaking wet. Three people on the boat and two construction workers could not pick it up and put it in the boat. We found a 250 gallon oil tank, too," says McNichol.

About 200 volunteers staff the boat. On the day of our trip Andrea Durham and Scott Colby from the Museum of Science were aboard. "The museum has a long history of helping to teach about the environment, and we're right on the river, and we want it to be a clean wonderful place to look at," says Andrea. Scott adds, "People actually contributing to the community and doing good things, that's America."

As we cruised down the Charles, the river looked remarkably clean, a testament to the work of the clean up boat crew, but wait until July 5th. With thousands lining the shore, they will have their work cut out for them. "You will find trash up to 2 or 3 inches thick piled up against the shore. It will take us 4 or 5 days to get it back to where we are today," says McNichol.

As we headed back to the dock after collecting several bags of trash, Tom McNichol reflects back on his work. "Going home at night I feel good. Maybe deep in there it's a sense of accomplishment that I'm after," he says. "I'm proud of it, and I'm proud of all the other people that help us," he adds.

The crew will be out on the river working hard to clean up after the July 4th festivities. The Clean Up Boat's budget is only $29,000 a year, and the operation survives on donations. If you would like to help them out or become a volunteer, visit their web site at cleanupboat.org.

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