Clean streams for Cairo: restoring the Sycamore riverbank

The Sycamore riverbank has been used as an informal dump for years. This September, 87 neighbors turned up for a first cleanup, filling 106 bags in a single morning. Now we want to restore it for good. We have a plan agreed with the municipal water board, including native species selected by a local botanist. The area floods more each year, and fish have returned for the first time in a decade after our first cleanup. Restoring it will protect homes and bring back shade. All the labor is volunteered. We just need materials. Funds buy saplings, gloves, bags, hire of a skip, and signage. Where the $350 goes: • Waste removal and skip hire: $80 • Tools and protective gear: $70 • Native saplings and stakes: $200 I'll pay this kindness forward the moment I'm able to.