BARRYVILLE — “I love this river,” said Ruth Jones. She and her family own Kittatinny Canoes with eight locations along the Delaware River. Jones started the Kittatinny Canoes Delaware River Cleanup in 1990; at the 28th year this summer, Jones talked about her love of the river she grew up on.

When they first started the cleanup, Jones said she saw lots of trash in the river, from tires to beer cans. In recent years she is seeing less and less trash. Since the first cleanup they have removed 459 tons of trash, including 9,066 tires.

During this year's cleanup held on Monday and Tuesday, the volunteers covered 70 miles of river, starting at the Ten Mile River Access all the way down to the Delaware Water Gap. On the first day there were 123 volunteers, and the second day there were 130. Some of the volunteers have been coming since the start; and some come from far way places like Texas and Virginia.

Jones' family started the company in 1941 when they purchased land on the river and named it Kittatinny Beach. Kittatinny is an Indian word meaning “Endless Mountains.” Jones recalls fondly paddling on the river as soon as she learned how to swim. “I was an only child so I played on the river,” Jones said. “I'm 85 years old and I'm still playing on the river.”

Now her son, Dave Jones, runs the business.

Kristina Heister, Superintendent of the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River unit of the National Park Service (NPS), said this year was a special year because it is the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

According to rivers.gov, “the act was created by Congress in 1968 to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations.” It is because of this act that there are no dams on the Delaware River, which would make it impassable for boaters.

Trash used to be a huge problem, Heister said. There were no trash receptacles or porta-potties near the river, so human waste and garbage were left on the shores. The NPS contributed $700,000 yearly and were able to get trash cans and porta-potties at river access sites, and promote the message of “carry in, carry out.” Heister said now they don't have to make that contribution anymore because there is less trash.

Kittatinny uses their own staff to help organize the cleanup days, providing food for all volunteers, and transportation. The NPS was on hand to give a safety talk to the volunteers, and once they had their life jackets on, they went out on canoes to help keep the Delaware River pristine.

Ruth has a saying she likes to convey: “A waterway when properly used is the only trail through nature that man can travel without leaving a trace of his passing.”