The Malone Rotary Club, in collaboration with the Malone Recreation Park Commission, Franklin Academy Interact, the Malone YMCA, and the Village of Malone, is organizing an Earth Day activity on Saturday, April 20. The event will kick off at Kelly Pavilion with opening remarks and the distribution of litter collection bags at 8:45 am. Activities will take place between 9:00-12:00. The activities will include litter pick up at the Malone Memorial Recreation Park, Franklin Academy Campus, and other areas of the Village. Several young trees in the Malone Memorial Recreation park will be mulched and a tree will be planted at the park. 

Interested community organizations or groups of citizens are asked to select an area for their clean up activities and to relay that information to Steve Shafer, Malone Rotary Club member, by calling or texting 518-651-7550. Please include the name of the contact, area being cleaned, approximate number of people in the group, phone number and email. 

The project is part of a larger effort by Rotary Districts focused on the entire Great Lakes Watershed. Central to the project is the removal of plastic waste that could enter waterways. While Malone is not in the Great Lakes watershed, the community does lie in the adjacent St Lawrence River watershed. Groups participating in the Malone event are asked to consider working in areas in or near a body of water, but work along streets, in parks and other areas not directly near water are also welcomed. The goals of the Rotary Great Lakes watershed initiative include: 

1. Improve the aesthetics of the Great Lakes by removing garbage from public areas and roadsides. 2. Reduce the amount of plastic and litter on our lands and in our waterways. 

3. Remove waste that could potentially be ingested by pets and other wildlife. 

4. Provide an opportunity for public participation in collaborative activities. 

5. Educate the public about the effects of littering, the importance of recycling, and instill a sense of stewardship. 

Malone Rotary appreciates the support being provided by the Malone Memorial Recreation Park, the Franklin Academy Interact Club (A high school service organization sponsored by Malone Rotary), the Greater Malone YMCA, the Village of Malone and other community organizations. The village is providing the litter collection bags and the Department of Public Works will collect the bags after the event. 

The Malone Rotary Club is a service organization focused on youth and the greater Malone community. Each year the club provides scholarships to graduating seniors from area schools, supports the Malone Rotary Interact Club at Franklin Academy, supports the Malone Memorial Recreation Park, and supports other local organizations in the community. The Malone Rotary Club is part Rotary International with clubs worldwide. If you are interested in learning more about Rotary we invite you to be our guest at one of our weekly meetings. Meetings are held during the winter months each Thursday, from 12:00 PM until 1:00 PM at St Angela’s Cafe, 12 Homestead Park, Malone. During the summer months meetings are held at the Malone Golf Club. Malone Rotary is online at https://malonerotary.org/