AUBURN — In a matter of hours, dozens of dedicated Twin Cities volunteers pulled more than 50 bags of trash, building materials, a pile of tires and a mound of scrap metal from the banks and shallow areas of the Androscoggin River.

Volunteers came out in force on Sunday for the first-ever major water-based cleanup effort for the Androscoggin River and its banks in downtown Lewiston-Auburn. Organized by Androscoggin Land Trust in partnership with Lewiston’s Baxter Brewing and Adventure Bound Rafting in Caratunk, the event aimed to clean up trash and debris along the river.

“I think it was phenomenal. I definitely think we’ve got a model to repeat,” Jonathan LaBonte, executive director of Androscoggin Land Trust, said. “There were places that were really an eyesore. This is our front door. We should be cleaning it up.”

The partnership effort brought eight whitewater rafts from Adventure Bound Rafting to the Twin Cities to assist volunteers in the cleanup effort. More than 50 volunteers were broken into teams and sent out on the river in rafts. In addition to the large rafts, some volunteers opted to bring their own kayaks and canoes to help scour the riverbanks.

Judy Marden, president of the land trust and a resident of Greene, said she was very pleased by the turnout given that Sunday was Father’s Day. She said the effort drew volunteers of all ages who came with one goal in mind — to clean up the riverbanks and reclaim the Androscoggin to the way it was during its glory days.

“People are really interested in the river, and the attitude has changed so much in the last five years,” Marden said. “Especially the kids. To see them out and moving around, and they’ll go home and tell their grandparents that it’s safe and beautiful and not the place their grandparents remember.”

While there are regular volunteer efforts to clean the parks and trails dotting the banks of the river downtown, Sunday’s initiative collected trash and debris from the shoreline.

The event aimed to officially launch the summer river recreation season in Lewiston-Auburn. It was followed by a celebration and outdoor barbecue at Fire House Grille in Auburn. 

Volunteer Bill Menke of Auburn and his friends brought their kids to help with the river cleanup. He said the event served a dual purpose for him as a dad. First, he was able to spend quality time with his children on Father’s Day. And second, he hoped to foster in them a sense of giving back to their community.

“I would tell them that they should stopping littering,” 6-year-old McKenna Menke said of what she would tell people after cleaning up the river.

Her friend, Maizy Demers, couldn’t agree more.

“People keep throwing stuff out in the river, and it’s not nice,” Demers said. “It’s probably killing the animals.”

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