Friends give Fox River its spring cleaning

From clothes, cans and fast-food containers to bottles, bags and blankets, there was plenty of trash to keep the Friends of the Fox River busy Saturday as members combed the river's edge during an annual cleanup event.

Co-sponsored by state Rep. Anna Moeller, the seventh annual cleanup took place just north of the Gail Borden Library in Elgin.

"I love being part of the event every year because it's an opportunity to bring people together to take care of our river and clean up the environment," Moeller said.

Stepping out of the tall grass along the shore, Sara Boline of Elgin had both of her hands full of trash as she made another trip back.

Pete Becker, also of Elgin, was working on cleaning up an abandoned camp site along the river.

"It's important," Becker said. "This is where we get our drinking water."

The group concentrated on two locations: the large field next the library and Trout Park Rivers Edge area.

"There's a sense of accomplishment in picking up trash and knowing that you helped make the environment a little cleaner," Moeller said.

"It's something that almost anyone can do and there's an immediate positive impact. Plus it's fun to get outside and check out all the spring plants and flowers that are coming into bloom."