KEY TAKEAWAYS: City Park Conservancy will hold a volunteer waterway cleanup Sept. 22 from 9 to 11 a.m. Keep Louisiana Beautiful is partnering on the event through its statewide Love Our Waterways initiative. LOOP NOLA will lead volunteers removing litter and invasive plants from shorelines and lagoons. Cleanup efforts will focus on waterways surrounding Couturie Forest and Scout Island.   City Park Conservancy will hold a volunteer waterway cleanup Tuesday as part of a statewide effort to remove litter and invasive plants from Louisiana’s rivers, lakes, bayous and shorelines. The Sept. 22 cleanup, scheduled from 9-11 a.m., is being held in partnership with Keep Louisiana Beautiful as part of its monthlong Love Our Waterways initiative. It will mark the fourth volunteer cleanup at New Orleans City Park connected to the program. LOOP NOLA will lead volunteers working from kayaks and canoes and along the shoreline to remove litter and invasive plants from lagoons surrounding Couturie Forest and Scout Island. The event is part of City Park Conservancy’s broader efforts to maintain the park’s waterways and use community volunteers to support environmental stewardship. Keep Louisiana Beautiful, a state program under the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, organizes Love Our Waterways to address marine litter across Louisiana. Its other programs focus on litter prevention and removal, recycling, beautification, waste reduction and sustainability. Volunteers will meet at the City Park Volunteer Center, 1031 Harrison Ave. City Park Conservancy is the nonprofit organization responsible for the day-to-day operation of the 1,300-acre park, working in partnership with the City Park Improvement Association. The conservancy oversees programming, fundraising and membership management. City Park receives about 16 million visits annually, according to the conservancy. Its operating budget relies largely on revenue generated through park activities, many of which are affected by weather. The cleanup will focus on waterways near Couturie Forest and Scout Island, with participants working both from the shoreline and on the water. ...read more read less