Save The River

09/04/2026

Save The River is excited to congratulate one of our own incredible board members, Elliott!

Matt won the The Thousand Islands Arts CenterThousand Islands Arts Center’s "Reel Art: A Community Catch" People’s Choice Award for his piece, "Island Fish Cleanup!" 🎉🐟

“Created from trash collected along the St. Lawrence River, Matt’s fish combines creativity with environmental stewardship—a meaningful reminder that art can inspire positive change.” — TIAC

Matt and his family have been active participants in Save The River’s Trash Free River Cleanup program for many years. His dedication has made a lasting impact on our River and its shorelines, and now his work is inspiring our community to see the creative possibilities all around us.

Thank you, Matt, and the Thousand Islands Arts Center for showing us what happens when art meets environmental compassion.

See TIAC’s original post below:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JdatprSbC/?mibextid=wwXIfr

09/04/2026

Stop by our store at 409 Riverside Drive in Clayton, NY or visit us online at savetheriver.org.

09/01/2026

🛟 Beach Watch Week 9 Results 🛟

💚 PASS 💚
Sawmill Bay
Potter's Beach, Grindstone
Frink Park, Clayton
Bathtub Bay, Picton Island
The T. I. Park Cove, Wellesley Island
The Lake of the Isles, Wellesley Island
Scenic View Park, Alex Bay

⏸️ NOT TESTED* ⏸️
Wilson's Beach, Cape Vincent
Round Island, Clayton

*𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘴𝘰𝘯'𝘴 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘈𝘶𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵 31𝘴𝘵.

August 31st will be the last round of testing for the 2026 Beach Watch program. Thank you to everyone who participated and we look forward to another season of testing starting in July 2027.

We encourage everyone to check the status of any beach or popular swimming area they plan to visit on theswimguide.org.

Have questions? Message this account or call us at (315) 686-2010.

08/31/2026

Save The River® is glad to be a dropoff location for *Converse Laboratories Inc. of Watertown, NY and will be accepting water samples for testing at its office at 409 Riverside Drive in Clayton 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 starting 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝘀𝘁.

Sampling bottles and forms are available at Save The River’s office during regular business hours. Water samples must be dropped off on Thursday mornings by 10:00 AM. For specific questions regarding testing, contact Converse Laboratories for instructions at (315) 788-8388. If you have any questions regarding drop off dates and time, please contact Caryn Clements, Program Coordinator for Save The River, at (315) 686-2010 or [email protected].

*𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦: 𝘕𝘠𝘚 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 (𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘰𝘯-𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳) (𝘌𝘓𝘈𝘗); 𝘕𝘠𝘚 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴; 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘌𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 (𝘕𝘌𝘓𝘈𝘊); 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘴𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵.

08/29/2026

Stop by our store at 409 Riverside Drive in Clayton and become a part of today!

08/29/2026

For this week’s edition of St. Lawrence Saturday, we’re featuring a fascinating piece of River history resting just off the docks of Alexandria Bay’s historic Bonnie Castle: a sunken car dating back to the 1950s.

Long before ferries and modern bridges connected the River, the freezing St. Lawrence River routinely transformed into a functional highway during the dead of winter. Local residents heavily relied on these natural ice bridges to drive automobiles, haul supplies, and cross between the mainland and neighboring islands over thick sheets of ice. However, the River's swift currents and shifting ice could turn treacherous without warning. Brittle patches and hidden air pockets meant that winter travel always carried a risk, and more than a few vehicles have broken through the crust, slipping beneath the surface to become permanent fixtures of the Riverbed.

This submerged mid-century relic serves as a reminder of the days when braving the frozen river was simply a part of daily life and travel in the North Country.

Thank you to the Thousand Islands Divers Alliance for providing the footage for this video! If you have any great photos or fun facts about the River, send us a message!

08/29/2026

08/28/2026

🌕 THE STURGEON MOON IS SHINING TONIGHT — SHOW THE RIVER SOME LOVE! 💙

Tonight, the Sturgeon Moon lights up the sky—and there’s no better time to celebrate the mighty St. Lawrence River and the incredible fishery that makes our region so special.

Featuring the Sturgeon Moon and the Lake Sturgeon, Save The River's 2026 T-shirt celebrates the River, the fish, and all of us who are passionate about protecting these waters for generations to come.

👉 Get yours now while supplies last - http://save-the-river.square.site

One great shirt. One great cause. One great river worth protecting. 💙

Tag a fellow River Rat who needs one! 👕🌊

08/27/2026

🚨UPDATE🚨

Save The River took samples for a retest of Sawmill Bay on August 25, 2026. The results came back within safe limits per the NYS Health Department standard of less than 235 E. coli colonies in a 100mL sample.

Beach Watch Volunteers will be testing all sites again Monday, August 31st. Those results will be posted here and theswimguide.org.

08/26/2026

🛟Beach Watch Week 8 Results 🛟

❌FAIL❌
*Sawmill Bay, Clayton

🟢PASS🟢
Wilson's Beach, Cape Vincent
Potter's Beach, Grindstone
Frink Park, Clayton
Bathtub Bay, Picton Island
Round Island, Clayton
The T. I. Park Cove, Wellesley Island
The Lake of the Isles, Wellesley Island
Scenic View Park, Alex Bay

*A sample was collected on Tuesday, August 24th to retest Sawmill Bay. We will post the results of that test as soon as they are made available to us.

Save The River recommends caution when swimming in certain bays along the River less than 24 hours after a heavy rainfall. Studies show that runoff can increase the concentration of E. coli.

Exposure to E. coli can cause a number of illnesses, particularly in young children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems. Common symptoms include skin rashes, eye and ear infections, and gastrointestinal discomfort.

Water Quality is measured by the number of E. coli colonies in a 100mL sample. Locations with over 235 colonies per sample are considered unsafe to swim in by the NYS Health Department.

Have questions? Message this account or call us at (315) 686-2010.