Later, litter: Winnipesaukee Cleanup taking place this Saturday

MEREDITH – When it comes to litter, there’s three types of people in this world. There’s the person who drops the litter, the person who shakes their head when they walks by, and then there are people like Joyce Murphy, who, along with a couple of other people, founded the Lake Winnipesaukee Community Clean Up Day.

The Clean Up Day, which is taking place this year on Saturday, May 15, will focus on the high-traffic areas of and around Lake Winnipesaukee, including coves and on-shore areas near and overlooking the lake.

The effort was founded in 2018 by Murphy and Rob and Amy Janes. The intention was to make it an annual springtime event. Coronavirus forced a hiatus last year, and organizers are hoping 2021 will be the biggest pickup yet.

“We’re residents of the Lakes Region, we care about our community,” said Murphy in explaining how the Clean Up Day came to be. “We’re trying to get the kids of our community to care about this, and keep our environment clean. It’s a shame all the trash that we collect.”

The first year of the cleanup saw 65 people participate. Poor weather in 2019 saw participation drop to around 50, and with great forecast for this weekend, Murphy is hoping for a robust turnout on Saturday. The event starts at 9 a.m., with site leaders positioned at each major access point to the lake to direct volunteers.

“If you would like to contribute to clean up your own community, feel free to join them,” Murphy said. Visit the Lake Winnipesaukee Community Clean Up Day’s Facebook page for a list of access points, as well as a map. Those who wish to join may jump in at any of those access points – although Murphy also encouraged people to find their own area to de-litter.

Volunteers are asked to meet with a site leader at 9 a.m. to sign in and pick up cleaning supplies. The cleaning can be done by foot, by boat, kayak or personal watercraft. Bags of litter can be left at the access site for later pickup, but Murphy said she would prefer if it could be brought to Goodhue Boat Company, on Meredith Neck, where, at 12:30 p.m., all of the litter pickers will be rewarded with a barbecue lunch provided by Paige Miller and her family. There will also be several prizes that will be raffled off, and each attendee will get a ticket.

Each year, there are countless cigarette butts, beer bottles and water bottles that are removed from the water, shoreline and lakeside parks. Added to the detritus this year are discarded face masks.

Murphy said she doesn’t understand the mindset of the people who see the landscape as a suitable place to leave their trash.

“The crazy thing is, no matter where you go, there’s barrels, barrels everywhere. People might be five steps from a barrel and decide to leave their coffee cup and paper bag on the bench,” Murphy said. She also dismisses the idea that litter left in a public space is someone else’s problem.

“It’s everyone’s problem. The trash is ultimately hurting the environment. The difference between me and someone else who walks right by it is, if we don’t do it, no one else will, and we will become one big dump of an Earth.”

The first two years resulted in more than 20 yards of trash removed from the lake and shore. Cody Gray, manager of Goodhue Boat Company in Meredith, said that litter represents a hazard to the economy as well as to the environment, which is why he has offered his company’s site as a place for the effort to congregate each year.

“Our business depends on the lakes. The fact that we have an opportunity to count on such a beautiful area and lakes with excellent water quality and beautiful views, created (an) environment that is so attractive that people come from all over the world to enjoy it,” Gray said. Should that environment become known more for piles of litter than crystal-clear water, businesses that cater to those who recreate on the lakes would suffer, he said. “We feel a responsibility to take some leadership in ensuring that the lakes retain what is so attractive to so many people about the lakes.”

Gray said the need for events such as the Cleanup Day only increases as more people flock to Winnipesaukee.

“The lake has simply gotten busier,” Gray said. With more visitors – especially more novice boaters – there is naturally going to be more litter left behind. That often happens accidentally – frequent items collected from the lake include things like hats and sweatshirts, boat cushions and water toys, useful items that likely weren’t secured on a boat and were spirited away by the wind.

Gray said he’s grateful and encouraged to see people come together – hikers, paddlers, powerboaters, and other businesses – to lend a hand in protecting Winnipesaukee from one of the worse effects of human traffic.

“I think most people, especially other businesses in the area, understand the economics of keeping that resource in good shape,” Gray said.