It Takes a Team!

Every week, our Greenagers River Walk interns collect litter, refresh brochures, and maintain the trail. Madison Melino, Bethany Sweet, and Jonah Gray (above, left to right).

Working together can have an enormously positive impact on our community. Over three decades ago, dedicated community volunteers cleaned up the bank of the Housatonic River just behind Main Street, which had long been used as a dumping site, and in doing so they unknowingly set off a chain reaction that would slowly transform into the trail that you see today.  Despite the grueling work of filling dump trucks with a startling collection of debris, the early cleanup crews experienced first-hand how uplifting the connection to the river can be. These early volunteers envisioned a quiet trail that could allow all visitors the opportunity to enjoy a riverside sanctuary. River Walk’s founding director Rachel Fletcher donated her time and energy to making that vision a reality, knowing full well that volunteers would always be essential to River Walk’s care and well-being.

ABOVE, LEFT: Nadine Chidester, GBLC board member, and Heather Cupo, River Walk horticulturalist, weaving the bittersweet enclosure.

ABOVE, RIGHT: Jonah Gray, Greenagers Trails Coordinator, and Bethany Sweet, River Walk Greenagers Intern, resetting the W.E.B. Du Bois River Garden boulder.

Today it continues to take a team to care for River Walk. Each and every day we honor the hard work and determination that has been generously donated by our community since 1988. As as the current volunteer River Walk Director, I am well supported by the expertise provided by our long-term horticulturist Heather Cupo. For over 25 years, donations from near and far  have enabled River Walk to employ Heather as she guides our restoration efforts at River Walk. In addition, your donations have also supported our River Walk Greenagers internship program. Each year River Walk employs Greenagers interns to provide weekly care and maintenance of the trail. Onsite training gives our interns the skills they need to implement trail and ecological improvements. In this way, River Walk is a learning laboratory for local youth that helps them to develop a clear sense of their role as environmental stewards.

ABOVE: River Walk Greenagers Interns Madison Melino and Bethany Sweet installing a new guardrail and split rail fence to safeguard the riverbank rehabilitation area. River access has been closed in order to protect the fragile riverbank and ensure visitor safety.