Last Saturday's Catasauqua Annual Spring Cleanup at Biery's Point included the largest gathering of volunteers to date.

"Every year around Earth Day, the state provides funds for trash bags and gloves," said Keith Shannon. "The rest of the effort is all volunteers."

The weather cooperated with this year's effort; last year's event was hampered by rain and cold temperatures.

The early morning shift assembled at 9 a.m. and more volunteers filtered in until the event concluded at noon.

The more difficult part of the cleanup effort includes pulling tires out of the muck generated by the spring rains that flood the canal.

"This year we found a tire pulling rake and grappling hook that Ben Ferenchak made a few years back," said Shannon, as he headed off with his group down the canal.

The only disappointment this spring is that the D&L Trail paralleling the canal is still a dirt path.

"They [Department of Natural Resources D&L coordinators] said they had the money to get the trail in better shape, but so far nothing has happened," said Sean McCue.