By Scott Nicholson
A new broom sweeps clean, even when it’s wet.
Dr. Kristan Cockerill’s
class collects trash from Kraut Creek during last year’s
Big Sweep. Photo
submitted |
Volunteers are sought to help with this year’s Big Sweep,
cleaning up rivers, creeks, streams, lakes and other waterways
across the state. Locally, the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service
and National Committee for the New River are organizing clean-ups.
Last year, 137 Watauga County volunteers retrieved almost 5,800
pounds of debris from the rivers and creeks. This year, sweep
date is Saturday, Sept. 13, and organizers are looking for an
even bigger haul.
“We’re hoping to recruit even more volunteers to clean
up even more of our watershed trash this year,” said natural
resources extension agent Wendy Patoprsty.
She will coordinate teams and individuals, supplying trash bags
and arranging trash pick-up in Watauga County.
She also said a little preventive care will limit the amount of
trash entering the rivers. “Every year we always find a lot
of glass, aluminum cans and plastic,” Patoprsty said. “We
also find a lot of construction materials. It’s really important
people don’t let trash fly out of the back of their trucks.
It’s not only bad for wildlife, it’s dangerous for the
people who recreate in the river.”
While some trash drifts into the river during storms, other types,
such as cans, bottles and recreation equipment, come from those
enjoying the very natural resource they are damaging. “Monofilament
fishing line is something really important to keep out of the
river,” Patoprsty said. “We find a lot of that during
clean-ups.”
Watauga County recycling coordinator Lisa Doty has launched an
educational effort to help fend off one of the biggest enemies
of surface water: plastic shopping bags.
“Recycling has its place,” Doty said. “However,
it’s not the solution to the plastic bag problem. Recycling
rates for plastic bags are extremely low and it costs more to
recycle a bag than to produce a new one. The real solution is
to take your own reusable shopping bags every time you go into
a store.”
“Whenever we do a river cleanup, we always find plastic bags
in the river,” Patoprsty said. “It’s not only unsightly,
it’s dangerous.”
North Carolina Big Sweep is a non-profit effort for litter-free
watersheds. It started in 1987 as a coastal cleanup called Beach
Sweep. The effort washed inland and was renamed Big Sweep in 1989,
becoming the nation’s first statewide waterway cleanup. Over
21 years, 4,429 tons of trash has been collected and more than
252,000 volunteers have cleaned North Carolina streams.
Volunteers collect trash and debris and record all that they find.
Prizes are awarded to the group that finds the most unusual item,
collects the most trash, and who cleans the longest reach of stream.
“A lot of times people already have a group put together,
but I can also connect people if they want to call me,” Patoprsty
said. “I’ll give them all the trash bags, where to put
in and where to take out.”
Groups can be small or large, youth to seniors. Typical groups
include school groups, scout troups, church groups, 4-H clubs,
sports teams, youth organizations, civic groups, garden clubs,
company colleagues, neighborhood organizations and trade associations.
Team coordinators are also needed, as well as information on waterways
that should be cleaned.
For more information or to participate, contact Watauga County’s
Big Sweep coordinator, Wendy Patoprsty, at the Watauga County
office of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service at (828) 264-306,
or email Wendy_Patoprsty@ncsu.edu. To join the National Committee
for the New River’s clean-up effort, call (336) 846.4871
or email at info@ncnr.org. For more information on Big Sweep,
visit www.ncbigsweep.org.
Tips for a safe cleanup:
Take a hat or visor and sunscreen to protect yourself from
the sun.
Wear old, comfortable clothes. You will get dirty.
Take a snack and a drink along. You’ll probably get thirsty.
Bring some insect repellent and a pair of gloves.
Make sure your shoes are sturdy and have closed toes. Your shoes
may get wet. Do not go barefoot.
Stay with a partner or group, and be sure that children are
supervised by an adult.
Wear a life jacket if you’ll be in a boat. Do not wade
into the water to gather debris if the current is fast. Never
enter the water unless you know its depth and are wearing a
life jacket. Be safe and careful.
Watch for snakes and spiders. Be careful of poison oak and poison
ivy.
Watch out for steep, slippery and unstable banks. If you are
unsure of conditions, find a safer place or ask for assistance.
Do not touch medical waste, chemical containers, barrels, pesticides
or other dangerous items. Note their location and tell your
site coordinator.
Do not touch any animals, dead or alive. Trapped or injured
animals may bite, and they can carry disease. Alert your site
coordinator.
— Source: N.C. Cooperative Extension Service
|
Get Firefox