The group Pearl Riverkeeper will hold its 10th annual cleanup on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, focusing on 20 sites from the Pearl River’s headwaters near Philadelphia, Mississippi to the Gulf Coast.
Pearl Riverkeeper is a citizen-based nonprofit focused on improving the Pearl River watershed through restoration, advocacy, education—and, in this case, hands-on removal of litter and debris.
So far, more than 400 people have volunteered to participate in the upcoming cleanup, the organization reported. Previously, Pearl Riverkeeper volunteers have removed 200,000 lbs. of trash from the watershed. Sites selected for this year’s cleanup stretch across almost 500 river mills, with an additional location on the Strong River tributary.
Volunteers must register in advance at www.pearlriverkeeper.com. The website includes an interactive map with cleanup locations. For more information, contact Jessica Gauley at Pearlriverkeeper@gmail.com.
Image: Boaters on the Pearl River during the 2023 cleanup (courtesy Pearl Riverkeeper).