By Press Release Submitted to OnMilwaukee.com Published Mar 02, 2016 at 10:16 AM

On Saturday, April 23, thousands of volunteers will join Milwaukee Riverkeeper for the 21st annual Spring River Cleanup. The volunteers will clean riverbanks at more than 50 locations throughout the Milwaukee River Basin. The cleanup will take place from 9 a.m. until noon, is free and open to people of all ages, and will be followed by a volunteer thank-you party on each of the three rivers.

"Falling on the day after Earth Day this year, our 21st Annual River Cleanup is a great way to give back to our rivers and to help improve the environment in Milwaukee," said Cheryl Nenn, Riverkeeper at Milwaukee Riverkeeper. "Each year, we have increased interest from many individuals and organizations wanting to volunteer to help us achieve cleaner rivers and healthier communities, and the river cleanup is one of the largest volunteer events in the state. The river cleanup is also a great way to raise awareness of our amazing rivers – the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic Rivers – and their value in providing recreational activities such as fishing, swimming and boating, as well as improving our quality of life."

Each year, volunteers fill more than 7,000 bags with trash and remove 35 tons of trash and debris from the area streams and rivers at sites located from Kewaskum to South Milwaukee and west to Brookfield.

To sign up, registration is now available online. For more information and to view the locations for the cleanup, visit Milwaukee Riverkeeper at http://milwaukeeriverkeeper.org/2016-spring-river-cleanup/.