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HARVEYS LAKE — Earth Day spirit was in full swing Sunday afternoon in this lakeside community during the fifth annual Earth Day Cleanup.
A crew of over 40 people of all ages – clad in reflective orange vests – gathered at the Harveys Lake Beach Club at 1 p.m., geared up and ready to help clean up their town.
“This is one of the bigger turnouts we’ve had for sure,” said Sid Halsor, chairman of the Harveys Lake Environmental Advisory Council. “We’re usually up and down with attendance, but the weather has certainly been on our side this year.”
The weather was perfectly suited for outdoor activities – the warm sun mingling with the lake-effect breeze had the clean-up crew in good spirits.
“It was my mom’s idea to come here,” Mia Sult, a sixth-grader at Lake-Noxen Elementary, said with a smile. “But I’m excited to help out, too.”
The crew split up into different groups, planning to divide and conquer, with each tackling a different section of the over 2-mile-long lakefront.
“The lake is our community’s crown jewel,” Halsor said. “To have a healthy community, we need to have a healthy lake. It’s integral.”
The idea has been going strong in the community for over five years, and the Harveys Lake EAC cites coordinator Megan Sgarlat Prynn with being the initial catalyst for the cleanup.
“Way back when, Harveys Lake used to do a town cleanup, many years ago,” Sgarlat Prynn said. “I have been involved with the EAC about six years now, and when I joined, I brought the idea of a cleanup with me from previous experiences.”
Sgarlat Prynn previously served with the Philadelphia Parks System, helping host citywide cleanups as part of her role there. When she moved to Harveys Lake, the concept of a lake cleanup was resurrected.
“People would always comment on how after the snow melts in the spring, there was a lot of trash and litter visible,” she said. “With that in mind, what better way to incorporate the community in a service-learning sense than a town cleanup?”
The cleanup falls right in line with the main ideology surrounding the Harveys Lake Environmental Advisory Council.
“Our mission is to advise the borough on any issues that impact the environment and water quality of the lake,” added Halsor. “We are the largest inland lake in Pennsylvania by volume, so it’s not just cosmetic, it’s important to keep it clean and healthy.”
The Cleanup Sunday was organized in conjunction with a nationwide cleanup campaign known as The Great American Cleanup 2016 and the statewide Great American Cleanup Pennsylvania initiative.
“It’s a great resource that helps link other cleanups all across the state, so people looking to come out and help can easily participate,” added Sgarlat Prynn.
The Harveys Lake EAC is always looking for new members, and holds their meetings at the borough building on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.
“We love our lake,” she said, smiling. “And we love our community.”
