Here is an example of a charity where volunteers are making a significant impact on the environment. The Great Barrington Land Conservancy, through their Housatonic River Walk Project is reclaiming riverfront by cleaning up trashed and abused areas and returning them to pristine riparian areas.

River Walk is an intensive “hands-on” volunteer effort and in over 15 years, 1,750 volunteers have removed 355 tons of debris! River Walk demonstrates simple, practical methods for river protection. Volunteers eliminate rampant invasive plant growth, restore the reclaimed riverbank with vegetative buffers of native plantings, mitigate erosion and storm water pollution, and create a half-mile public walking trail along the river’s edge using non-toxic recycled materials.

River Walk is a recognized model in the Housatonic River Restoration Plan and its environmental education, stewardship, biodiversity, and habitat protection are a high priority in the Great Barrington Master Plan. This is a great example of hands-on philanthropic investment. If you would like to see this project achieve further success, please give.