More than 800 volunteers took part in Centre County’s Watershed Cleanup Day. Take a look
By Esteban Marenco
Leigh Fehlman, a water specialist, collects trash in a park off Westerly Parkway in State College, Pa., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The Clearwater Conservancy organized volunteers across Centre County to clean up public green spaces.
Esteban Marenco
esteban.marenco@centredaily.com
Volunteers spent about four hours in brightly covered vests beautifying the county by picking up trash. The goal of the effort, according to ClearWater Conservancy, was to “help keep our waterways clean and healthy and our open spaces beautiful.”
More than 6 million pounds of trash have reportedly been collected since 1997 and, at last year’s event, ClearWater Conservancy — a nonprofit focused on protecting and restoring natural resources in central Pennsylvania — said that 12,860 pounds of litter was collected.
Here’s a closer look at this year’s event:
Volunteer Darlene Clark ties off a full trash bag in Pine Grove Mills, Pa., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The ClearWater Conservancy organized volunteers across Centre County to clean up public green spaces. Esteban Marenco esteban.marenco@centredaily.com
Members of the Omega Delta Sigma veterans fraternity collect trash along Waupelani Drive in State College, Pa., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The ClearWater Conservancy organized volunteers across Centre County to clean up public green spaces. Esteban Marenco esteban.marenco@centredaily.com
Volunteer Emily Rojik picks up a plastic wrapper in Pine Grove Mills, Pa., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The ClearWater Conservancy organized volunteers across Centre County to clean up public green spaces. Esteban Marenco esteban.marenco@centredaily.com
ClearWater Conservancy volunteers gather at Whipple Dam State Park in Petersburg, Pa., on Saturday, April 18, 2026, after a day of collecting trash. The organization coordinated cleanup efforts across Centre County, where volunteers collected trash from public green spaces and later came together for a potluck. Esteban Marenco esteban.marenco@centredaily.com
Trash bags are piled along Roopsburg Road in Bellefonte, Pa., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The ClearWater Conservancy organized volunteers across Centre County to clean up public green spaces. Esteban Marenco esteban.marenco@centredaily.com
Trash bags are piled along Route 550 in front of Halfmoon Christian Fellowship Church in Port Matilda, Pa., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The ClearWater Conservancy organized volunteers across Centre County to clean up public green spaces. Esteban Marenco esteban.marenco@centredaily.com
A potluck is held at Whipple Dam State Park in Petersburg, Pa., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. After the cleanup, volunteers gathered for a potluck to celebrate their efforts. The Clearwater Conservancy organized volunteers across Centre County to clean up public green spaces. Esteban Marenco esteban.marenco@centredaily.com
Volunteers gather for a potluck at Whipple Dam State Park in Petersburg, Pa., on Saturday, April 18, 2026, after a day of collecting trash. The ClearWater Conservancy organized volunteers across Centre County to clean up public green spaces. Esteban Marenco esteban.marenco@centredaily.com
Volunteers AJ Legmier, right, and Trevor White, left, walk into a ditch to collect trash in Pine Grove Mills, Pa., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The ClearWater Conservancy organized volunteers across Centre County to clean up public green spaces. Esteban Marenco esteban.marenco@centredaily.com
Volunteers AJ Legmier, left, and Trevor White, right, examine a piece of trash they collected in Pine Grove Mills, Pa., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The ClearWater Conservancy organized volunteers across Centre County to clean up public green spaces. Esteban Marenco esteban.marenco@centredaily.com
Volunteer Emily Rojik picks up trash in Pine Grove Mills, Pa., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The ClearWater Conservancy organized volunteers across Centre County to clean up public green spaces. Esteban Marenco esteban.marenco@centredaily.com
Gloves, trash bags and vests are laid out for volunteers at the entrance of a community park off Westerly Parkway in State College, Pa., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The ClearWater Conservancy organized volunteers across Centre County to collect trash from public green spaces. Esteban Marenco esteban.marenco@centredaily.com
Lillian Belkin, a State High student, collects trash in a park off Westerly Parkway in State College, Pa., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The ClearWater Conservancy organized volunteers across Centre County to clean up public green spaces. Esteban Marenco esteban.marenco@centredaily.com
Volunteer Darlene Clark picks up trash in Pine Grove Mills, Pa., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The ClearWater Conservancy organized volunteers across Centre County to clean up public green spaces. Esteban Marenco esteban.marenco@centredaily.com
