Every time it rains, trash and debris from the upper watershed washes into Nine Mile Run.

To help keep the stream clean and beautiful, the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association will conduct a stream sweep from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 22.

Volunteers will meet at the Fern Hollow parking lot at the bottom of Lancaster Avenue in Frick Park. The association will provide breakfast, gloves, safety vests and trash bags, but volunteers should wear long pants and sturdy boots or closed-toe shoes.

Click here to register. For more information, contact Sara at 412-371-8779 ext. 123 or sarap@ninemilerun.org.

The Nine Mile Run Watershed is a small, urban watershed located in Pittsburgh's East End, including the communities of Edgewood, Swissvale, and Wilkinsburg. Covering just 6.5 square miles, the watershed is home to numerous initiatives, including the largest urban stream restoration in the United States that was completed in 2006 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

NMRWA evolved from the Nine Mile Run Greenway Project, run by the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University. The Greenway Project focused on the intersection between community, art, and the environment, and it addressed the need for urban residents to reconnect with and positively impact the natural world. The idea for a dedicated watershed association grew out of the enthusiasm generated by this project and the desire to continue these efforts.

Since NMRWA was incorporated in 2001, the organization has developed programs that include watershed tours (in all seasons), educational workshops and other events such as stream sweeps, support of resident-driven community gardens and street tree plantings in the upper watershed, a children's environmental photography class, and active advocacy for the protection of Nine Mile Run. Today, NMRWA continues to work to fulfill its organizational mission to ensure the restoration and protection of the Nine Mile Run Watershed through citizen engagement, demonstration projects, and advocacy.

Learn more at www.ninemilerun.org.

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