With April holding the designation of Earth Month, it is only natural that we celebrate all things Mother Earth. On the last Saturday of the month of festivities is Celebrate Trails Day on Saturday, April 27 —Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s annual springtime celebration of America’s trails. Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (DLNHC), along with our sponsor Jim Thorpe House of Jerky invites you to celebrate by getting outdoors and participating in a community cleanup, getting out onto your favorite trail, and paying a visit to your favorite Trail Friendly Businesses.
Trail Friendly Business Sponsor
Golden Grabber Sponsor
CONGRATULATIONS NAZARETH AREA HIGH SCHOOL – 2024 QUEST FOR THE GOLDEN GRABBER WINNERS!!
Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor is pleased to announce the winner of the first ever Quest for the Golden Grabber trash collection contest hosted to Celebrate Trails from April 20 – April 27 along the D&L Trail. The contest encouraged participants to celebrate by going outdoors and participating in a community cleanup.
The winning group was from Nazareth Area High School and was led by Olivia Davison. The group of ten students cleaned up Allentown Canal Park and removed 12 bags of litter from along the trail, river and edge of canal. They will receive a package of prizes thanks to our sponsors Jim Thorpe House of Jerky and The Soapy Bee.
The students were not the only ones who got involved in cleaning up the D&L Trail. Other cleanups were hosted along the Delaware Canal near Mueller General Store in Riegelsville, Slatington Trailhead & Slate Heritage Trail, Riverview Park Trailhead, Sand Island in Bethlehem, and Hugh Moore Park. Altogether over 75 bags of trash were collected and $500 was donated by the Jim Thorpe House of Jerky to support the 165 Fund.
Join the Quest for the Golden Grabber
MMY Waterway Cleanup and Social Paddle, Oct. 1, Lehigh River, Rt. 33 Boat Launch
From April 20 through April 28, DLNHC is hosting the Quest for the Golden Grabber, a trash collection contest along the D&L Trail. Participation is free and open to everyone along the D&L Trail. For every bag of trash, TV, couch, or tire collected and reported to DLNHC, our sponsors will donate $5 to support DLNHC’s 165 Trail Fund. This contest is sponsored by Jim Thorpe House of Jerky!
To participate in the Quest for the Golden Grabber, you must join or host a local cleanup along a section of D&L Trail. Spur sections and D&L Trailheads count, too. You must then submit your results with trash collection amounts and pictures before noon on April 29, 2024. Prizes will be awarded for various levels of collection, including most trash collected, most tires collected, most electronics collected, and the most interesting items (judge’s choice).
If you’d like to host your own event and have questions, contact [email protected] to get connected with the local trail landowner, find out where to leave trash for pick up, and to get access to clean up tools and trash bags stored at the National Canal Museum in Easton.
Winning groups will be announced Friday May 3, 2024, through delawareandlehigh.org as well as DLNHC social media channels on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The group that wins the most trash collected category will receive a DLNHC branded “Golden Trash Grabber.”
Join A Community Event
Bucks County
Nockamixon Township Earth Day and Keep PA Beautiful Day Activities – Saturday April 20, from 9am-11am – Help celebrate Earth Day and Keep PA Beautiful Day on Saturday April 20 from 9am – 11am (rain or shine). Help pick up trash from roadways, public parks, and properties. Trash bags, gloves and safety vests will be available for pick up at the Nockamixon Township Building at 589 Lake Warren Road on Monday and Wednesdays from 9 am – 3pm beginning April 17th. Grab a bag, grab a friend, pick a road or park and let us know the area you’ll be working on. More information can be found at www.nockamixontownship.org or call 610-847-5058.
Date/Time: Saturday 4/20 from 9-11
Location: Nockamixon Township Building 589 Lake Warren Road
Walnutport Canal Association Canal Cleanup – Walnutport Canal Association (WCA) is hosting a canal cleanup on Saturday April 20 from 9am – 12pm. You will be meeting at the pavilion. This is a wonderful opportunity to help WCA, meet some new and old friends, and spend a beautiful spring morning outdoors helping beautify a picturesque canal. Refreshments will be provided by Thrivent Financial. WCA thanks them for their continued support!
Palmer Township – Saturday April 20 at 10am – Join your neighbors to see how you can help preserve the township, state, and planet. There will be three presentations: Bee Nice, Stash the Trash EV’s and Owners, and Slow the Flow (stormwater management). There will also be a native plant sale, volunteer information, and a Trail, Road, and Park Clean-up at Fairview Park and other spaces. Come early to help. For more information, contact: [email protected].
Date/Time: Saturday 4/20 from 10-2
Location: Fairview Park – 3501 Fairview Ave., Easton
D&L Trail Tender Event: Hugh Moore Park – Saturday April 27 at 9 am –12pm – Join DLNHC for our annual clean up at HMP, home of the National Canal Museum at 2750 Hugh Moore Park Road, Easton, PA 18042. Help us get ready for Immersion Days field trips & need help outside working in small groups – painting, picking up litter/debris, putting up pop-up tents. Registering ahead of time is highly encouraged so we have the appropriate number of supplies on hand. Minimum age for volunteering is 12 (under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian).
Catasauqua Main Streets Cleanup – Saturday April 20, from 9 –11 am. Catasauqua Main Streets Cleanup to pick up trash along Front, Pine, & Bridge Streets and also at 2 canal locations.
KeepSlatington Beautiful Cleanup – Saturday April 20, from 9am-12pm – A cleanup of all borough-owned parks and playgrounds, Victory Park, West End Playground, Slatington Memorial Park, The Slate Heritage Trail, Trout Creek and the confluence of Trout Creek and the Lehigh River. Meet at the Slatington Borough Municipal Garage, 524 W. Church Street at 9am to clean up the different parks around town and then have lunch at noon. Individuals, civic groups, and area Boy & Girl Scout Troops are invited to participate. Please dress appropriately: sturdy shoes & long sleeves recommended. The event will be held rain or shine, although heavy steady rain/downpours will cancel the cleanup.
Date/Time: Saturday 4/20 from 9-12
Location: Slatington Borough Municipal Garage, 524 W. Church Street
Groups interested in participating are asked to call Robert at (610) 554-4099 or message us on Facebook Messenger via Slatington Parks & Recreation Commission.
Lehigh Gap Nature Center Annual Earth Day Cleanup, Slatington – Saturday April 20, from 9am to 12pm – Join an Annual Earth Day Cleanup. Lehigh Gap Nature Center is getting the gardens and refuge ready for the coming spring and summer! All volunteers are welcome.
Pick up the Poconos – Saturday April 20, from 9:30am – 12:30pm – Celebrate Earth Day this year by spending some time caring for the environment. Volunteer to lend a hand picking up litter in communities across the Pocono Mountains region during the morning, then head to the Earth Day Celebration at Pocono Organics in the afternoon. Volunteers will enjoy exclusive access to great door prizes plus free fun, food, beverages, educational activities, and more. Pick Up The Poconos | Environment-Friendly Tips (poconomountains.com)
Date/Time: Saturday 4/20 from 9:30 – 12:30
Location: Pocono Organics & various locations throughout the Poconos
Jim Thorpe Earth Day Lehigh River Cleanup – Saturday April 27, from 8am-12pm – The Jim Thorpe Earth Day Lehigh River Cleanup will meet at the Gazebo in the Josiah White Park by the train station at 8am on April 27 with a rain date of April 28. There will be trash bags, gloves, and safety vests for all volunteers. The cleanup begins at Highland Beverage and ends at the Jim Thorpe Market. If you have a troop that wants to participate, please call Shelli to register at 570-325-2079.
Date/Time: Saturday 4/27 from 8 – 12
Location: Joshiah White Park, 1 Susquehanna Ave. Jim Thorpe
White Haven Earth Day Celebration Clean-up – Saturday April 20, from 8am-10am – Join an Earth Day Celebration Clean-up on Saturday, April 20 starting 8 at the Main Street Caboose. Join the White Haven Community to Clean-up Main Street and beyond.
