MSU Infrastructure, Planning and Facilities, or IPF, recently hosted over 100 volunteers from the Spartan community to rid the Red Cedar River of debris, and clean up litter from around the Red Cedar Natural Area. In addition, the team of volunteers worked to remove invasive plant species along the river removing multiple log jams to allow for recreation and improved water flow.

“We had great interaction with students and volunteers, we made a big impact,” said Service Manager Matthew Bailey, who oversaw the cleanup. “We created the Red Cedar Recreation and Sustainability Committee to help pick out opportunities like this to get people engaged with the river and have the opportunity to get involved and get their hands dirty. It’s a fantastic opportunity to foster teamwork and engagement for both our members in IPF as well as the students.”

Using a combination of equipment and techniques such as magnet fishing off of the bridges, grappling hooks, and motorized equipment, the day’s effort produced almost 1000 pounds of materials from the natural area and river. This included furniture, shopping carts, car batteries, bags of trash, tires and much more.

While IPF crews regularly maintain these areas as part of their work, IPF is intending to host larger Red Cedar River Cleanup gatherings twice a year, during the spring and fall. These present a golden opportunity for the Spartan community to contribute to MSU’s award winning natural areas and work together to keep MSU Spartan Green.

Stay tuned for more information on upcoming events like these at https://ipf.msu.edu/about/news and https://sustainability.msu.edu/events/.