Project Clean Stream Sweeps Essex, Middle River on Saturday

Weather should be mild on Saturday, which is good for stream cleaners in Essex and Middle River.

From 9 a.m. to noon, volunteers will be cleaning Back River and the Hawthorne peninsula.

Those working on Back River should meet at the Essex Park and Ride (Virginia Avenue at Eastern Boulevard) at 9 a.m. on April 6. The Back River Restoration Committee is helping to coordinate those efforts. 

Hawthorne peninsula's Cow Pen Creek is also getting a makeover on Saturday. Volunteers should meet at the Hawthorne Elementary School parking lot at 9 a.m. There will be three teams: two to clean up waterfront parks and another to clean a one-quarter mile stretch of Cow Pen Creek.

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay is the sponsor of the efforts, which are part of the "Project Clean Stream" initiative it has been spearheading for 10 years.