“NEK Litter Cleanup & Fundraiser for Earthjustice”
The NEK Cleanup Crew encourages our community to help clean up litter while raising money for Earthjustice, a nationwide non-profit environmental law organization that protects people’s health, preserves natural environments, defends wildlife and promotes clean energy.
Sponsor our litter cleanup
Find our dedicated online donation page at
We are pairing our national fundraising efforts with making a local impact.
Our cleanup volunteers are asking you to sponsor our volunteer efforts by making a donation the Earthjustice.
Some of Earthjustice’s clients include the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and the Vermont Natural Resources Council.
Casella is accepting 1 ton of litter pro bono.
Dana Patoine will deliver the litter to the St. J Transfer Station on September 13th.
Attention Volunteers
The litter cleanup will be scheduled the week of September 6th through September 12th.
Locations and times are listed below. Refer back to this webpage for updates to the schedule.
We selected locations that have a hefty load of litter.
Would you be interested in volunteering to cleanup litter?
Please sign up so we can keep you informed.
Contact: Tara Lynn Scheidet:
Email: taralynn (at) earthbitch.com
Phone: 802-467-9036 (land-line)
Prizes
Sponsors donated prizes for the cleanup; two tickets for the Spirit of Ethan Allen, two tickets to VINS and a gift bag from Kingdom trails (trail passes not included.) If you volunteer you will be automatically entered into a raffle.
List of Litter Cleanup Locations
St J Rail Trail Litter Cleanup Saturday September 6th 9AM – 12PM
Meeting location at the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail Parking on Main Street in St. Johnsbury
Cleanup Crew Led by Val Elliott
River Road in St Johnsbury Cleanup Sunday September 7th 9AM – 12PM
Meeting Location Arnold Park
Cleanup Crew led by Tara Lynn Scheidet
Duck Pond and South end of Willoughby Cleanup September 12th 9 AM – 12 PM
Meeting location at the South end Willoughby parking lot in Westmore
Duck Pond Cleanup Crew Led by Evan Scheidet. South end Lake Crew led by Christopher DiPietro
What to Bring
- Leather gloves, perhaps an extra pair.
- Please bring your own drinking water and snacks or a lunch.
- Wear hefty hiking boots with a hard sole.
- Shovel, rake, pick up claws (optional)
- Be prepared to get dirty, lift heavy objects, avoid bees nests, see and smell unpleasant things, and avoid touching needles.
- It is recommended to wear pants and long sleeves.
What we are supplying:
- We will provide trash bags, at least 5 per volunteer
- Each cleanup crew has found a truck and driver to collect and deliver the litter to Dana Patoine’s trailer
- Each cleanup crew will have a designated needle collector, someone to collect needles in a clearly marked plastic container like an old detergent bottle for example.
- Chris at the south end of Willoughby will be providing rakes, shovels, and buckets to collect the litter. Litter will need to be walked out at this location, back to the parking area. This will be the most difficult cleanup location.
Duck Pond Litter Photo Below
Old trash buried under leaves near Duck Pond July 2025
South end of Willoughby Photos below
South end Willoughby – There is a lot of broken glass and rusty metal that will quicky shred most types of bags. That said, the debris will need to be transported in 5-gallon buckets to a staging area in the lower parking lot. The walk on the South Shore Loop trail from the cleanup area to the parking lot takes about 10 minutes. The buckets could be fairly heavy.
South end Willoughby- we will be working in Western edge of the Point covering approximately 200 square feet. Some of the trash/debris is visible at the surface, but the majority is hiding just below the surface. Some digging will be required. The volunteer will need to use a shovel or rake to loosen the ground to remove the debris. At this point, I’m not clear on how deep the layer of trash is.
St. J Rail Trail Litter photos from 8/18/25
