Students Lead Effort to Clean Up Shabakunk Creek

A small but hard-working group of about a dozen Lawrence High School students, Lawrence Township public works employees and township residents turned out Sunday, April 3, to participate in a cleanup of a section of the Shabakunk Creek contaminated by litter.

The cleanup was led by Students Against Violating the Earth, the environmental club at Lawrence High School. The township public works department assisted by providing gloves, trash bags, recycling buckets, tools and manpower.

The area of the creek near Princeton Pike and behind the Lawrence Shopping Center was the focus of Sunday’s efforts.

Maddie Price, president of SAVE, said the idea to clean up the Shabakunk Creek was suggested by naturalist Rick Dutko of the Lawrence Nature Center. Past cleanups by SAVE have taken place around the nature center.

“Mr. Dutko said the creek behind here had a lot of debris,” Price said as she took a break from the cleanup and enjoyed a snack from nearby Capt. Paul’s Firehouse Dogs on Princeton Pike.

She said cleanup participants found that a tree had fallen across the creek at some point, creating a dam-like effect that caused “piles and piles” of water bottles, pieces of Styrofoam and other rubbish to accumulate.

Other items found in the creek were tennis balls, a football, a basketball and a section of metal fencing.

Price said she lost track of how many bags and buckets were filled with debris removed from the creek, but she said she felt as if participants “made good progress,” although she admitted there was still a lot of trash that needs to be removed.

She said SAVE members will meet to discuss what their next cleanup project will be.