Volunteers are wanted to remove litter from local waterways this paddling season, including on Saturday as part of the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center’s annual river cleanup.

Nature center staff will lead community volunteers on a cleanup session from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on either the Cedar River State Water Trail or Dobbins Creek within the City of Austin as part of their fifth annual Eco-Blitz: Waste Week that started Monday. The cleanup – part of Cedar River Watershed District’s local Adopt-A-River program – will start at the Nature Center before heading out.

“This is a fun and important way to leave our local waterways cleaner than how you find them,” said Luke Reese, director of the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center.

Those interested in helping can pick up litter along the shorelines or get in the water to remove items, Reese said. Participants also will earn a free kayak or canoe rental ($10 value) from the Nature Center. Pre-registration is required with the nature before Saturday.

Last year’s cleanup drew more than 20 volunteers who pulled out 1,560 pounds of trash from the Cedar River and Dobbins Creek in the Driesner and Sutton park areas of Austin.

CRWD also is seeking volunteers who would like to adopt a specific stretch of the Cedar River or other local stream to clean up or are interested in being contacted for a community cleanup. Those interested in getting in the water or staying on land to walk the shoreline are wanted for CRWD’s Adopt-A-River.

“Volunteers continue to make a big difference in making the Cedar River and other local streams cleaner by removing litter every year,” said Tim Ruzek, CRWD’s outreach coordinator. “But we need more to step up and continue the great progress made over the past seven years.”

Since 2011, CRWD’s Adopt-A-River initiative – inspired by the state’s cleanup program – has involved dozens of volunteers removing many tons of garbage and flood debris, including more than 1,100 tires, from the Cedar River State Water Trail in Mower County. CRWD has created cleanup routes; lined up volunteers; assisted with cleanup logistics; and paid for the proper disposal of removed items.

Other cleanups by Adopt-A-River participants and CRWD staff are in the works for later this year.

Anyone interested in CRWD’s local Adopt-A-River initiative or in any upcoming river cleanup projects that need volunteers should contact Ruzek at 507-460-4577 or tim.ruzek@mowerswcd.org.

To pre-register for Saturday’s activities and other Eco-Blitz events, contact the nature center at 507-437-7519 or info@hormelnaturecenter.org. Eco-Blitz details are available online at www.hormelnaturecenter.org.