When Shenango River Watchers asked Tom Mowery, owner of Mowery Trucking and Excavating in Jamestown, to donate some of his time and equipment to their annual Earth Day cleanup in April, they didn’t doubt that he would be willing. What they didn’t expect was that he would start to clean up the river the day before Earth Day.

It was that kind of dedication that led the board to select Mowery as the group’s Business Friend of the River for 2009.

At the annual banquet at Shenango Civic Center in Sharon on Saturday, Hugh Clark, a River Watchers board member, said Mowery has donated his time and equipment to help maintain the beauty of the Shenango River.

“If he was paid for all the time he’s given us for free, he could retire,” Clark said.

Mowery was recognized along with Robert Downing, who owns property along the Shenango in Hermitage and Sharpsville, and lets local residents use his land to gain access to the river.

The River Watchers are a local non-profit group which organizes cleanups, promotes access to the Shenango, provides scholarships to high school students who wish to study environmental issues in college, and has built several canoe launches.

They cover the Shenango River Watershed, which stretches across six counties.

Don Clowes, River Watchers president, said the Individual Friend of the River award given to Downing traditionally has been awarded to someone who takes a lot of time to volunteer with the group.

“It was a slightly different take this year,” he said.

Clowes said that Downing was recognized for allowing people to use his property to get access to the river, but also restricting access in order to prevent illegal dumping and keep the river clean.

“He’s been a good steward of the shoreline,” Clowes said.

Both Downing and Mowery said they didn’t feel they deserved an award, they just felt the were doing the right thing.

“This is the first time I’ve been given an award for doing something for free,” Mowery said after he was presented with a plaque.

Later he said, “I don’t expect anything, I just want to go out there and help the community.”

Downing felt much the same.