On July 22, 2018, Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship of Woodstock, Vermont, is planning a “Picnic and Paddle” event at the Ottauquechee River. After a Sunday morning worship service, congregants headout to East End Park for a picnic lunch together, then hop into boats for a river clean-up.
Heather Wolfe, Taftsville Chapel’s creation care liaison, expressed some of the church’s hopes and goals for the event. The Ottauquechee River flows through the valley where we live and the church is located, she explained. This will give people an opportunity to appreciate the river landscape and to gain a “different perspective of the route we travel by car.”
In addition to picking up trash and beautifying the river, Taftsville Chapel’s river clean- up will also expose participants to the revitalized East End Park. Sustainable Woodstock, a local non-profit, has been working on restoring the health of the Ottauquechee River since 2009 and has recently hosted events highlighting their new permaculture garden and other educational presentations. The outing will expose families to the newly renovated park and introduce them to a new resource.
More information on MCCN’s Summer River Clean-up challenge and river safety resources can be found here!