Often in New Jersey, our wild trout streams become low and warm enough in the summertime that catch and release fishing cannot be practiced.  Many of us that spend time outside fishing on the weekends during April and May, find ourselves looking for something different to do on weekends once summer shows up.  We see this as good opportunity to do river cleanups.    

Lower streams flows mean that the streams are easier to wade and pull trash out of.  Also the warm weather often attracts local non fishermen from the community who do not want to remove trash from the water when it is cold.

For the past few years Ridge and Valley TU has been cleaning a stretch of Lopatcong Creek and Roaring Rock Brook in Warren County, NJ every summer.  Although enough trash still accumulates every year to do a cleanup, the good news is that we are pulling less and less big trash items out.  We plan on doing what we can for our local wild trout streams for years to come.