Volunteers clean up litter at Goose Pond Park
Published 3:04 pm Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Volunteers spend the morning on Tuesday cleaning up litter at Goose Pond Park in Clanton. Volunteers included Russell Harry, Steve Miles, Beau Battaglia, Mike Jones, Matt Jenkins, Brian Smith, Glenn Littleton, Heidi Richards, Frank Chitwood and Kristine Goddard.
(Contributed Photo)
A litter clean up day was held Tuesday morning at Goose Pond Park in Clanton.
Volunteers spent the morning cleaning up trash from the park and collected about 300 pounds of garbage from the creek and surrounding area.
The event was sponsored by the Alabama Clean Water Partnership for the Lower Coosa Sub Basin, and invited anyone interested to come help clean up the litter around the park.
“We just wanted to create a time where people could come by and help clean up the area,” said Russell Harry, who is the Lower Coosa Basin Chairman.
Harry said several individuals from the community began attending quarterly meetings held at Alabama Power in Clanton and mentioned litter being thrown near Walnut Creek.
“We heard from people in the community who brought our attention the need for a clean up so we decided to focus our attention on this area,” Harry said. “We wanted to do anything we could.”
Glenn Littleton and Brian Smith work to collect litter from the creek. (Photo by Emily Reed)
Some of the litter found around Goose Pond Park and the creek included several tires, paper trash, balls and drink bottles and cups.
The group decided to hold a second clean up day May 28 at 8 a.m. at the portion of the creek near O’Reilly Auto Parts where Walnut Creek runs to clean up trash in that area.
“We welcome anyone and everyone to join us,” Harry said. “Our goal is to link individuals, companies, organizations and governing bodies in order to educate the public and put projects on the ground to protect and preserve Alabama’s incredible water resources and aquatic ecosystems.”
Since its inception in 2001, the Alabama Clean Water Partnership has worked with partners from across the state to provide educational opportunities to watershed residents highlighting nonpoint source pollution (storm water runoff), water conservation and water quality improvement.
Russell Harry removes trash from the creek near Goose Pond Park. (Photo by Emily Reed)
Clanton Mayor Billy Joe Driver also attended the event on Tuesday and talked about the need for a clean up due to individuals throwing their trash out on the ground.
“You will often see a garbage can a few feet away from some trash,” Driver said. “People just toss out everything, and they don’t worry about someone else having to come behind them and clean it up.”
For more information about the upcoming clean up date on May 28, contact Heidi Richards, the Coosa Basin Facilitator at (256) 253-2454 or email heidivrichards@outlook.com.
