Cub Scouts clean up Broad River

Cub Scouts from Pack 320 in Blacksburg picked up 35 bags of litter Saturday morning along a stretch of the Broad River. Pictured are (front row): Jacob Sanders, Cameron Robinson, Nikklis Stanley, Matt Phillips and A.J. Corbin. Second row: David Pennington, James Hullett, Aaron Richardson, Robert Cosner, and Will McCall. (Back Row): Ryan Berry and Ben McCall. Not pictured is Ben Couch. A dog bone and diapers were among the litter local Cub Scouts removed Saturday from the Broad River.

Eleven Cub Scouts from Pack 320 spent nearly three hours cleaning a section of the Broad River off Ninety Nine Island Road. The Blacksburg Cub Scout group filled 30 trash bags with litter as part of the Beach Sweep/River Sweep.

The event is the largest single-day litter cleanup of South Carolina's beaches and waterways. Every third Saturday in September, residents statewide volunteer to clear trash from the state's beaches, rivers, lakes, and waterways.

Pack 320 Cub Scouts became involved in the Broad River cleanup when Cub Master Ryan Berry received an invitation from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. The Cub Scouts and six parents tracked along the river bank finding all sorts of items left behind by county residents.

"Weeblos Scout Will McCall thought the cleanup was so important he put off his birthday party to be able to be there," Ryan Berry said.

Beer bottles, soft drink bottles and numerous diapers were among the items Cub Scouts found in the woods along the Broad River. The most interesting thing found was a dog skeleton by Jacob Sanders.

"The boys worked very hard," Ryan Berry said. "They collected 30 bags of garbage in about 2 1/2 hours. We couldn't have done it without all the parent volunteers."

Beach Sweep/River Sweep has been held annually in South Carolina since 1988. Last year, nearly 6,000 South Carolina residents collected more than 57 tons of trash from waterways.

Litter and debris are considered threats to fish, wildlife and natural resources. It's also a health and safety threat to swimmers, boaters, and fishermen.

Although the cleanup lasted only a couple of hours, A.J. Corbin certainly got the message about not littering.

"Later in the day, we were in a store and my son saw one of the stock boys leave a box on the floor when he finished stocking a shelve," said Crystal Berry, Ryan's wife and a Cub Scout pack volunteer. "He told me, 'Mom, that's littering,' so I think the cleanup made an impression on him."