Clean the Bay Day Volunteer Clean Up

Join Douthat State Park and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for the 2026 Clean the Bay Day Event. In 2025, nearly 3,500 volunteers and more than 70 CBF partners came together at over 200 sites across the Commonwealth; in just three hours, they removed more than 70,000 pounds of litter and debris from beaches, parks, streets, shorelines, streams, rivers, and lakes.

Volunteers will walk along the banks of Wilson Creek and Douthat Lake to pick up trash and debris, helping to protect local wildlife and keep our waters pristine. Fishing line is a common find, posing a serious threat to fish, birds, and other animals. By removing litter before it washes downstream, we’re preventing pollution from reaching the Chesapeake Bay.

Registration through the Chesapeake Bay Foundation will open March 2. Visit their site to register yourself, your family or your group. You can also register on the day of the event. Please bring gloves, water, and wear closed-toes shoes.

Parks are for everyone. If you have accessibility questions or concerns, please call 540-862-8114 or email hannah.johnson@dcr.virginia.gov.

About Clean the Bay Day

Each year Virginia State Parks participates in the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Clean the Bay Day, an event dedicated to protecting and preserving the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Park visitors are invited to join a clean-up to help remove litter, debris and pollution from rivers, streams and shorelines that feed into the Bay, contributing to the health of the Bay’s ecosystem and ensuring cleaner water and safer habitats for wildlife. 

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