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Milwaukee Riverkeeper to host 30th Annual Cleanup Event on April 26, 2025

MILWAUKEE, WI – This spring marks three decades of the annual spring tradition, the MIlwaukee Riverkeeper Spring Cleanup. This celebration of community, conservation, and the rivers that run through it all began 30 years ago with friends and neighbors coming together to protect the waterways they loved. The event has since grown into one of the largest Earth Month volunteer events in the state.

On Saturday, April 26, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, thousands of volunteers will gather at more than 100 locations across Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Waukesha and Washington Counties to roll up their sleeves and remove litter, plastic, and other pollution from our rivers and green spaces. Last year alone, more than 4,000 volunteers collected over 100,000 pounds of trash in just one day.

This year’s theme, “Protect What You Love,” is a nod to the heart of this movement—people caring for their rivers, parks, and neighborhoods out of deep love for the place they call home. Whether you’ve been part of the cleanup for years or are joining for the first time, you’re part of a legacy that started with neighbors looking out for their community—and their future.

“Caring for the community and the places we love has been the drive behind the Milwaukee Riverkeeper Spring Cleanup since its inception ,” said Jennifer Bolger Breceda, Executive Director of Milwaukee Riverkeeper. “We’ve seen an incredible amount of growth and dedication to our waterways over the past three decades. It’s an incredible testament to the people of the Milwaukee River Basin and their love for their hometowns.”

The Milwaukee Riverkeeper Spring Cleanup unites organizations, businesses, and thousands of everyday people with one mission: to restore and protect our waterways so that future generations can enjoy clean, safe, and vibrant river spaces.

Join the movement. Protect what you love. To sign up or find a cleanup site near you, visit: bit.ly/MRKCleanup30

Event Details:

• Saturday, April 26, 2025, from 9 am to 12 pm
• 80+ Cleanup Sites around the Milwaukee River Basin
• Registration Required: bit.ly/MRKCleanup30
• Free T-Shirt for all participants
• Post cleanup celebration with Rock the Green at the Harley Davidson Museum 12pm-2pm

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About Milwaukee Riverkeeper

Milwaukee Riverkeeper’s mission is to protect, improve, and advocate for water quality, riparian wildlife habitat, and sound land management in the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic River Watersheds. We envision a future in which people from all walks of life can enjoy the healthy waterways of the Milwaukee River Basin.

Milwaukee Riverkeeper advocates for compliance with environmental laws and is licensed by the Waterkeeper Alliance, a network with more than 300 organizations worldwide dedicated to clean water and healthy communities. For more information about Milwaukee Riverkeeper, visit www.milwaukeeriverkeeper.org.

For more on the Milwaukee Riverkeeper Spring Cleanup: https://wke.lt/w/s/lNbsCS

April 16, 2025