Willis
05-09-2009, 07:03 PM
'padders persevere pitter-patter of precipitation
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The Volunteers of the Blue Ridge Litter Look Out (affectionately known as the ‘padders) collected litter from the sides of a four mile stretch of Mission road and from the Friends of Shannondale Springs Adopt-a-Spots. This task took place on May 2nd and 3rd in the midst of a cold but welcome pouring rain. The weather helped erase a rainfall deficit but slowed the pickup considerably.
Last year’s collection of trash totaled nearly 200 bags of litter, this years a mere 88. The rain and the 50 degree temperatures whittled the number of participants from 70 to 40 wild and crazy volunteers. The group did complete its assigned tasks in the war on litter but had to call a truce before they ventured off the main thoroughfare. As usual, the collection began with coffee and pastries followed by a briefing on safety and assignments to various sections of road.
Litterers didn’t disappoint the group by responsibly placing their trash in proper receptacles. Heck, why should they trouble themselves when the roadside ditches await the veritable cornucopia of cans, bottles, fast food containers and the unusual items that surprise even the most veteran picker-upper?
Surprises? Well, ‘padders have become accustomed to find at least one commode and they weren’t disappointed. Some other items worth mention included a softball signed by “Spanky”, two $1 bills and some pennies, a $5 dollar bill printed on only one side (an amateur’s attempt at a felony), a dozen rimless tires and enough auto parts to make a salvage yard envious.
In addition, there was a wallet with a federal ID and credit cards but no cash ( It was given to the Sheriff’s office), numerous syringes with needles attached and in one area an empty insulin bottle and a pile of candy wrappers in another. Then there were 6 hubcaps a tape measure that wouldn’t retract and oodles of empty miniature booze bottles.
The group would like to thank all the folks who honked and gave thumbs up, the citizens who DO properly dispose of their litter, the Department of Highways for coordinating supplies and the Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan (REAP) operating under the Department of Environmental Protection.
The litter problem is never going to disappear, but it can be minimized. The foremost tool in the anti-litter arsenal is education. By instilling a sense of pride in our youngsters, we can hope to break the cycle of learning from bad examples (Parents who trash our roadways). Another valuable weapon is better enforcement thru hidden cameras, citizen activism and both creative sentencing for non-violent offenders to provide litter pickups on primary roads and dangerous byways. Finally, pressure has to be applied on our legislators to break the bottler and retail market lobbyists’ stranglehold keeping a bottle bill from passage. Fully 70% of the items picked up would have required a deposit.
For information on the BRILLOpadders coming events, keep a watch on their forum on Shannondale and Beyond (Shannondale.org).
http://i41.tinypic.com/o8ywbm.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/4qsav6.jpg
The Volunteers of the Blue Ridge Litter Look Out (affectionately known as the ‘padders) collected litter from the sides of a four mile stretch of Mission road and from the Friends of Shannondale Springs Adopt-a-Spots. This task took place on May 2nd and 3rd in the midst of a cold but welcome pouring rain. The weather helped erase a rainfall deficit but slowed the pickup considerably.
Last year’s collection of trash totaled nearly 200 bags of litter, this years a mere 88. The rain and the 50 degree temperatures whittled the number of participants from 70 to 40 wild and crazy volunteers. The group did complete its assigned tasks in the war on litter but had to call a truce before they ventured off the main thoroughfare. As usual, the collection began with coffee and pastries followed by a briefing on safety and assignments to various sections of road.
Litterers didn’t disappoint the group by responsibly placing their trash in proper receptacles. Heck, why should they trouble themselves when the roadside ditches await the veritable cornucopia of cans, bottles, fast food containers and the unusual items that surprise even the most veteran picker-upper?
Surprises? Well, ‘padders have become accustomed to find at least one commode and they weren’t disappointed. Some other items worth mention included a softball signed by “Spanky”, two $1 bills and some pennies, a $5 dollar bill printed on only one side (an amateur’s attempt at a felony), a dozen rimless tires and enough auto parts to make a salvage yard envious.
In addition, there was a wallet with a federal ID and credit cards but no cash ( It was given to the Sheriff’s office), numerous syringes with needles attached and in one area an empty insulin bottle and a pile of candy wrappers in another. Then there were 6 hubcaps a tape measure that wouldn’t retract and oodles of empty miniature booze bottles.
The group would like to thank all the folks who honked and gave thumbs up, the citizens who DO properly dispose of their litter, the Department of Highways for coordinating supplies and the Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan (REAP) operating under the Department of Environmental Protection.
The litter problem is never going to disappear, but it can be minimized. The foremost tool in the anti-litter arsenal is education. By instilling a sense of pride in our youngsters, we can hope to break the cycle of learning from bad examples (Parents who trash our roadways). Another valuable weapon is better enforcement thru hidden cameras, citizen activism and both creative sentencing for non-violent offenders to provide litter pickups on primary roads and dangerous byways. Finally, pressure has to be applied on our legislators to break the bottler and retail market lobbyists’ stranglehold keeping a bottle bill from passage. Fully 70% of the items picked up would have required a deposit.
For information on the BRILLOpadders coming events, keep a watch on their forum on Shannondale and Beyond (Shannondale.org).