Original plans to invite attendees to participate in a local river cleanup during the AFS Annual Meeting are going continental! The meeting in Columbus may not be in person, but we are still dedicated to improving the overall water quality and aquatic habitat of local waterways. AFS sees our switch to a virtual meeting as an opportunity to amplify the original, local impact across the country, and internationally too. Join us throughout the 2-week period of the Virtual Meeting as we improve the health of our local rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds.
Organize or join a group in your community!
Find a service project using our Google Map or submit a Google Form to start your own and gather volunteers. There are two ways to participate: Formal and Informal Events.
Formal Events
- Led by a Local Site Leader who signs up to organize volunteers using the “Formal Local Site Leader Registration Form” below.
- Local Site Leaders will organize volunteers, lead their event, and may choose to provide some materials.
- Information on provided materials and how to contact the Local Site Leader will be in the description of the event on the Google Map.
- You can sign up to be a Local Site Leader below or you can go to the Google Map (also below), pick a formal event, and use the registration form link in the event description to sign up to be a participant in that event.
- If there is already an event in your community, please consider participating in it instead of hosting your own.
Informal Events
- Informal Events are for people who want to make people aware of a stream that could use some cleaning, but are NOT volunteering to organize volunteers or provide materials.
- Informal Events may have a time associated with them when people are encouraged to show up, or they may simply have a location where people can come on their own time during the span of the annual meeting.
- Even if you do not expect anyone to join you, please post your Informal Event so that others know the spot and we can document it for the Virtual Stream Cleanup Champions competition.
Due to COVID-19, groups may not exceed 20 people and all participants are required to wear masks and practice social distancing if gathering a group for a cleanup.
Create Virtual Community!
However you decide to participate, remember to post on social media about it with the hashtags #StreamCleanAFS and #AFSvirtual2020 to help spread the word!
Some Friendly Competition…
The AFS Division with the most sites cleaned within their area will be crowned the Virtual Stream Cleanup Champions! Help your Division earn the title and bragging rights as the most dedicated to trash-free waters in all of AFS!
Want to participate?
You can explore events using the Google Map here
- Formal events are marked with blue markers
- Informal events are marked with pink markers
If you would like to organize your own formal or informal event, you can learn how to do so below…
How to Host a Formal Virtual Stream Cleanup in 10 Easy Steps
How to Organize an Informal Virtual Stream Cleanup in 7 Easy Steps