The Little Miami River spans four counties and 105 miles, dropping into a limestone gorge and running through a national park before emptying into the mighty Ohio River. This National Wild and Scenic River is home to saugeye, catfish, and smallmouth bass, and it stands as an example of how a damaged river can recover with attention from anglers and the surrounding community—50-percent of its banks have been returned to forestland over the past 45 years.

With the help of the Little Miami River Kleeners, a non-profit volunteer organization, this community showed its support and pride for their river’s health by volunteering to remove tons of trash, dumped both deliberately and accidentally, from the Little Miami’s waters last year. More than 150 volunteers are expected to return for this year’s 14 simultaneous cleanups, which will take place on land and by canoe over 18 miles, from Clifton Reserve in Clark County to River’s Edge Canoe Livery in southern Greene County.