ORANGE — For most of the summer, the UMass Masters Swim Team has been swimming the perimeter of Lake Mattawa four to five times a week.
“When (the University of Massachusetts Amherst) closed in March, our swim team didn’t have access to the pool,” explained Heather Stinson, a Greenfield resident. “Once we came here, it was a no-brainer.”
Stinson said they’ve been cheered on by community members and had friendly conversations with people who are curious about what they’re doing.
So, when members of the group read in the Greenfield Recorderabout Saturday’s Lake Mattawa Association Cleanup Day, they wanted to take part.
“Everyone’s been so welcoming and kind, so we wanted to give back,” Stinson said.
“It’s a beautiful lake, and we want to keep it that way,” said teammate Terry Singer, also of Greenfield.
The president of the Lake Mattawa Association, Matt Gilmore, said Saturday marked the second year the group has organized a cleanup around the lake. About a dozen people carried trash bags and picked up bottles and cans, cigarettes, filament and other plastics along Lake Mattawa and Holtshire roads.
In general, the association — which has existed since the 1950s — is trying to become more active, Gilmore said.
Anderwood Lane residents Frank Citino and his wife, Karen Traub, said it’s “shocking” how much trash they find around the lake on their regular walks.
“I think people are so overwhelmed, it’s less of a concern,” Traub said.
Citino and Traub pick up trash on their walks, and Citino dives for the plastic worms that have accumulated at the bottom of the lake — a problem that was brought to his attention at a Lake Mattawa Association meeting last year.
“All the stuff on the shore will end up in the water,” he said, using a trash picker to drop a cigarette butt into the plastic bag Traub was holding. “It’s easier to do this.”
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 263. Twitter: @MaryEByrne