Meet Rocky Morrison of Clean River Project

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rocky Morrison.

Rocky, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised on the Merrimack River in Methuen. In 2004 my family and friends began noticing how polluted the river was becoming and we decided to do something about the situation. as we were hanging out on a sandbar I began thinking of creative ways to clean the river and involve everyone that used it. We came up with a scavenger hunt for trash with prizes of gift cards and small amounts of cash.

All out of pocket and with the help of volunteers. We held the hunt for two years in a row with much success and excellent results on the eco-system and watershed. Third season, we could not get any involvement because personal equipment and boats were getting ruined from all the tires and trash we were finding. But, I had been bitten by the cleaning bug and decided to build my own boats and start a non-profit to continue the work. And here we are 14 years later as Clean River Project, going strong. Still, an all-volunteer group operating on solely donations and grants.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Obtaining city and state involvement. All the municipality snafus with politicians not wanting to admit the responsibilities they have to the river. This is our drinking water, for 600,000 people!!! We are still dealing with this issue and can’t make a lot of headway with the Mayor’s and town managers not wanting to cooperate and help with funding!

Everyone talks a good game and wants to volunteer but not everyone actually shows up. I have a few steady regulars I can count on but not nearly enough as we need.

Clean River Project – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a 501c non-profit organization located in the Merrimac Valley. Simply put, we are an aggressive, hands-on environmental patrol group that spends all of our time cleanings and making sure the drinking water is as clean as it can be for the 600,000 people that use it. The job is getting harder as the population in the area goes up and the opioid epidemic expands.

Our proudest accomplishments are the removal of 81 cars, 8000 tires, and over 200 tons of trash pulled by hand from the river over the last 14 years as well as placement of 5 containment trash booms we place up and down the river and continuously sort and clean and recycle throughout the months we can be on the river.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
That I haven’t been executed yet! lol, I tend to be very passionate and forceful about this subject (people might say I have a bull in china shop mentality) and I don’t understand why I have to work so hard to get help from local government. ALL the money goes into the equipment and the cause, my time is volunteered at Clean River as well.

I also run my own business to support my family. We do all the work, all I need is the funding. We have a functioning Board of Directors that oversee everything and an accountant to keep us straight and in compliance with 501c rules and regs. It’s a group effort and they all volunteer their time as well. I take pride in this well oiled, well-run group!

Another thing I take pride in is our education program for the youth and local tours of the river. Companies come to us for employee relationship building outings to clean and make an impact. We have worked with 3M, The First-Lego League, Destination Imagination students from Groveland, local school groups, Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, local Chambers of Commerce.

Grants from the Mass Environmental Trust and Greater Lowell Community Foundation/Juniper Grant program as well Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union are among but a few of the organizations that have the same vision we do and provide us funding. But, we always need more and we are constantly reaching out. The opportunity you have provided me to get the word out with this article is huge. Thank you for that.

Currently, we are holding a fundraiser for a piece of equipment called a trash skimmer that will increase our effectiveness to clean and preserve this treasure. Details are up on our website!

Contact Info:

• Address: 498 Lowell Street
  Methuen, MA 01844
• Website: www.cleanriverproject.org
• Phone: 978-590-9374
• Email: rocky@cleanriverproject.org
• Facebook: Clean River Project

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