Saturday is both the 17th annual Potomac River Watershed cleanup and the National Park Day annual historic preservation event.
Thousands of volunteers are expected out Saturday to collect trash and litter at more than 200 sites throughout the Potomac watershed, which includes the river and its tributaries in Maryland, Virginia, the District, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. There are four sites in Loudoun.
Last year, 3,500 volunteers collected 162 tons of trash -- enough, organizers said, to line up the trash bags and cover the Woodrow Wilson Bridge three times. Some of the more unusual items recovered in previous years include an 1878 tombstone, a Civil War cannon ball, a portable toilet that was towed from a marsh area with the assistance of a two-person canoe and a 1955 Chevrolet.
The Potomac River cleanup event is coordinated by the Alice Ferguson Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Potomac River and its history. A full list of cleanup sites and ways to become involved can be found at www.fergusonfoundation.org/cleanupmainframe.htmlor by calling 301-292-6665.
The Loudoun sites are:
• Algonkian Regional Park. Needs 12 experienced canoeists with proper gear for shoreline cleanup. Not suitable for children under 7 or disabled volunteers. www.potomac.org.
• Algonkian Regional Park, Sharpshin and Ten Foot Islands. Can accommodate up to 30 volunteers. Those with canoes or kayaks encouraged. 202-358-1895, 703-481-9553, www.Potomac.org.
• Indian Creek, Sterling Park. Can accommodate up to 30 volunteers. 703-464-4763, 703-464-4768, www.touchthesea.org.
• Lansdowne. Can accommodate up to 25 volunteers. Volunteers must go down a steep bank to reach the east side of Goose Creek; west side is easier. 703-723-6492 or 703-723-6492.
Also Saturday, history buffs and preservationists team up with the Civil War Preservation Trust to help clean up battlefields, cemeteries and shrines. In Loudoun, they will be gathering at Ball's Bluff Battlefield Regional Park in Leesburg at 9 a.m. to help with trash removal and trail building. 703-737-7800.
