ONONDAGA COUNTY, N.Y. -- Thousands of people around the state will take part in the seventh Annual Canal Clean Sweep this weekend.

Volunteers will clean sections of the Erie Canal as part of Earth Day by picking up debris, cutting brush and looking for hazards that need to be fixed. The historic canal is used year-round by people from Albany to Buffalo.

Community members pitch in each year to help preserve and enhance the canal with the Clean Sweep.

"I think it's a great day for folks to learn about the environment. It's something that the whole family can take part in and really clean up a resource that probably most of them use every day," New York State Canal Corporation Director Brian Stratton said.

"You know, if the state government was looking to clean this up, it would cost an incredible amount of money and what we're really asking is for just local residents and people who use the trail to come out and just donate an hour or two of their time," said Elijah Yearick, Project Coordinator for Parks and Trails New York.

For information about where and how you can participate in Clean Sweep, www.ptny.org.