By Thadean Thomas
Courtesy of Thadean Thomas
The city of Laurel held its annual Patuxent River Cleanup April 5, bringing together volunteers of all ages who came out to help remove trash and other debris from the river’s shoreline and surrounding areas.
Councilmember James Kole (Ward 1) noted that while Laurel’s Parks and Recreation Department does a great job maintaining the river and park, the annual cleanup is the one day the community can “get deep in the woods to get the stuff that Parks and Recreation can’t do,” he said, adding, “The city has beautiful parks. This is one of our hidden gems.”
Riverfront Park, a 30.2-acre area along the Patuxent that offers a playground, picnic pavilions and 1.5 miles of paved hiker/biker path, is heavily used by the community. Laurel resident Rachel Eisenberg says she visits the park about three times a day to see the wildlife and “loves how it is always kept and clean.”
Jacqueline Jones, who has lived in West Laurel for nearly 30 years, appreciates cleanup day, saying, “It feels good to come out here and do my part.” The course for her church, St. Mark’s United Methodist’s annual Emancipation Day 5K in support of diabetes in September runs through the part of the park where she was picking up trash.
It wasn’t just longtime residents pitching in — students were also out earning service learning hours. Eighth-grader Amy Cattungal came with her mother, Rowina Cattungal.
“Wherever we go, she ends up picking up trash, even if it’s not hers,” Rowina Cattungal said. “I thought this is something that might be exciting for her.”
Davion Brown, a high school student from Bowie, had already completed his required hours but “just wanted to come out and do good for the community,” he said. He and Tuwauna Reid met during the cleanup, and she was proud of her newfound friend. “I can’t believe somebody his age would be out here to clean up,” she said. Their cleanup conversation started when they discovered a microwave and an oven dumped under a bridge and decided to work together to retrieve them. “Community service is rewarding and doesn’t cost a thing,” Reid noted.
Fatima Condon, a Laurel resident of eight years, brought her two daughters to participate. “This is my kids’ first experience volunteering, so I came out here in support of them and myself.” Calli Peacock came with her 5-year old son, Luka, who “wanted an opportunity to do something good for the Earth.”
Laurel was one of many communities participating in a statewide cleanup of the river, hosted by the Patuxent Riverkeeper, a nonprofit that advocates for, and restores, the Patuxent River runs.”
The river was historically a highly productive source of shellfish, but water quality in the river has been negatively impacted by urban and, to a lesser degree, agricultural runoff. Rivers and their watersheds are often resilient, though; A 2023 EcoHealth Report Card gave the river a moderate health rating of 41%, a 12-point increase from its 2022 score.
“If everybody came together for one day and did their part, they could help the Patuxent downstream,” Bill Bailey, director of the city of Laurel Parks and Recreation Department said. “I don’t care if it’s 10 people out here, every little bit counts and we’ll take all the help we can get.”
The Patuxent is fed by four primary tributaries and is a primary source of freshwater flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.The river spans nine Maryland counties: Howard, Frederick, Montgomery, Carroll, Prince George’s, Charles, St. Mary’s, Anne Arundel and Calvert. The two largest cities in the watershed are Laurel and Bowie.
