Students, community gather to clean White River

More than 134 community members and Ball State students gathered today to clean up the White River. This year marks the programs seventh annual White River clean-up event.

"We do this because we believe the White River is important to protect and keep clean and so we clean over 15 miles of river every year to help protect the most beautiful nature resource in the city of Muncie," said Jason Donati, board president of Muncie Delaware Clean and Beautiful.

The Freshman Connections service project was open to anyone.

"You'll notice that there are quite a few people here and a lot of them come from different stages in life, some are college students, some are elderly people that just want to make an impact on their community and I think that in it self is a pretty big inspiration to clean up the white river." said Aaron Cross, a sophomore biology major and White River crew team leader.

Casey Middleton, a freshman environmental science major, said he is making a positive change for Muncie.

"Most of the trash that we remove, natural species won't be able to ingest. More wildlife will come to this area if it is cleaned up," Middleton said.

Matt Jennings, a senior architecture major, said the clean-up will also enhance the experience of walking along the Cardinal Greenwood.

Jennings said his goal was to "make people stop along the river and think and connect with the sight a little more, make them stop and not just pass straight through."