River Cleanup Draws Crowds on Land and Water

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By Allison Perrine | Photos by Patrick Olivero

OCEANPORT – There’s a little more sparkle to the Shrewsbury River this week after more than 130 volunteers came together to clean up debris last Saturday, May 22.

And it wasn’t any average cleanup. While many completed the cleanup on foot along the shoreline, others hopped aboard kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and boats to collect garbage floating in the water that would otherwise be unreachable from land. Organized by four local business owners, the day was such a success that next year, the borough would like to lend a hand.

“It was great seeing new and old friends as well as the next generation of old friends. People that I grew up with showed up with their kids and that meant the world to me,” said Chris Macioch, owner of Oceanport Paddle Club, who ran the event with John Majeski of Servepro; Jeremy Julio of Last Bite Mosquito and Tick Control; and Bryan Zinski of Summa Love, Surfing and Yoga. “Great events are made by great people. It’s a collective of everyone involved.”

Volunteers met at the Oceanport Paddle Club at 10 a.m. to check in for the event. Many enjoyed bagels donated by FaNagle the Bagel while listening to a talk about the importance of the environment by Lynn Brotherston of Stroke Your ECO/Paddle For The Planet. Stacy Kellogg Deerin offered a ceremonial prayer for the volunteers, which Macioch said was “beautiful.” Then they either headed to the water to start their cleanup or drove to some of the 12 land areas identified by Macioch as easily accessible yet close to the water and in need of cleanup.

According to Macioch, Brotherston has helped organizations conduct similar cleanups on a smaller scale. She suggested that volunteers participating from the water put milk crates on their watercraft to place the trash in as they traveled, and also provided some long-handled grabbers with claws to reach the pieces. Most of the grabbers, however, came from community donors.

A barge docked in the river for water participants to unload the milk crates as they filled up before continuing their mission. At the end of the event, that waste – which will be recycled – went into a container donated by Mazza Recycling. And while some volunteers struggled to find trash to collect in some areas due to the volume of participants, “the dumpster sure showed the full effect” of how much was collected, Macioch said. 

He gave thanks to the many companies, volunteers and community members who had a hand in making the event such a success, from the donated raffle basket items to food, equipment and other support. He assured that anyone who did not participate this year will certainly have a chance to do so next year.

“We were all in agreement that this needs to be something done more often, so it will definitely be an annual event,” he said. “We will cover more ground, clean up more towns’ shorelines and do good for our community.”

However, anyone looking to support the organizers in other ways does not have to wait until next year to do so. On June 5, Macioch, Majeski, Julio and Zinski will travel 30 miles by paddleboard from Oceanport to New York City to raise funds for local charities.

Though Macioch is a 20-year paddleboarding veteran, it will not be an easy task, he said. This will be the longest distance he has traveled by paddleboard yet and he expects it will take seven hours traveling with the current. The trip has been a goal of his for several years, but it wasn’t until he got the push from his three friends that he decided to make that dream a reality.

“I’m a big surfer and I remember there was one summer there were really no waves, so I needed to do some kind of activity so I had my friend make me a paddleboard before they were even around,” he said. “I started jumping in the river and just exploring.”

He started tracing his routes on Google Earth and realized he was sometimes paddling 10, 12 or even 15 miles in a session. “I thought it would be cool to really expand my exploring,” Macioch said. 

He found a group that had already organized an event where participants paddled around New York City – a 26-mile route – and got involved. The journey later led him to open the Oceanport Paddle Club.

Fast forward to 2020, Majeski, Julio and Zinski asked Macioch if he would be interested in paddling to the city and he jumped right on it. After all, he had already mapped out a route to take, riding with the current. The planning continued and now the four men are set to travel in the name of charity.

“We don’t think a paddle following this route has ever been undertaken,” Majeski said. “It will be a very difficult paddle battling winds, currents, rough water and shipping traffic in the Hudson River, but it will be worth it to raise funds and awareness for our important causes.”

Each individual will be paddling to raise funds for a different organization. Majeski will paddle for the Kortney Rose Foundation, which is dedicated to eradicating pediatric brain tumors. Julio will support the Lyme Light Foundation, which helps children and young adults with Lyme disease and raises awareness about the illness. Zinski will paddle for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Coastal & Northern New Jersey, which aims to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships. And lastly, Macioch will paddle for CASA of Ocean County, a nonprofit that advocates for children in foster care.

“They’re just really great people,” Macioch said of CASA representatives.

The Oceanport resident said he chose to represent CASA because, as a teacher who has worked with many age groups, he has always been an advocate of children. He also likes to support smaller charities that put their funds to use right away.

“A lot of kids don’t have opportunities and unfortunately, they don’t get to pick and choose what family they’re born into,” he said. “I felt that this little organization has been overlooked and I think they needed some help and that’s why I picked them.”

The four encourage the public to send them off June 5 by paddling with them down the Shrewsbury River. Anyone interested in doing so is welcome to meet at the Oceanport Paddle Club at around 6:50 a.m. that day. For more information about the paddle or to help contribute, visit oceanportpaddleclub.com/nj2nyc2021.

The article originally appeared in the May 27 – June 2, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.