Lisa volunteered to organize an extensive River cleanup campaign. The first year, she organized six clean ups through the Hackensack River Watershed, scouting out sites, setting dates, contacting local municipalities for necessary permits, recruiting and training volunteers and arranging for the garbage to be hauled away. That was 2002.

Today, Lisa and the Hackensack River-Keeper staff and volunteers are gearing up for twelve clean-ups. Each cleanup takes hours of organization and follow-up as well as a day in the field actually doing the work. Lisa is even known to make breakfast and bring recyclable utensils to protect the environment from any further pollution.

Thanks to Lisa, River clean-ups are an extremely important part of Hackensack's River keeper's education and advocacy program.

From one person taking the initiative, more than 300 volunteers come out to participate in the project and tons and tons of garbage have been removed and more than 40,000 linear feet of the Hackensack Riverbank have been cleaned.

Lisa G. Ryan grew up in Harrington Park, NJ with the woods surrounding the Hackensack River as her backyard. A life long volunteer and activist for various human and animal rights causes, Lisa had a defining moment when she tried to take her beloved pet, Thelma, swimming at Overpeck Creek in Leonia. Lisa was shocked at the filth she found lying on the banks.

Ms. Ryan approached the Hackensack River keeper Captain Bill Sheehan. She was concerned about the vast quantities of garbage that lined the Hackensack River and its tributaries where she played as a child and liked to walk her dog.

The River keeper agreed that there was a need, however, they did not have the staff or funding to implement a river cleanup program.