A Trashy Weekend

Some people posted on a local newstation Facebook page that they were ashamed at the litter around town for the  Hotter 'n Hell Hundred. Of course, most of their ire was directed at the City of Wichita Falls which had been putting out a yeoman's effort to ensure the city looked nice for the 15,000 riders. I wasn't very nice and offered to direct the complainers to a number of groups that pick up litter around town on a regular basis. Not surprisingly, no one contacted me.

Trash at Sikes Lake

June got a little muddy

 One such cleanup was the annual Sikes Lake cleanup that is the Saturday following Labor Day each year. The Rolling Plains Texas Master Naturalist chapter joins up with Midwestern State University to do a lake cleanup. We have had as many as 200 volunteers show up. This year, there were probably about 25 - 30 people, which was enough.  Although the amount of trash in the truck may not seem like a lot, that's a big truck.

One of the hardest working volunteers was June, who ended up muddy, but keep up good humor throughout the project.

Trash near Lake Wichita

More trash in same area

There are still a lot of places that need a good cleanup. The next day I was birding out around Lake Wichita and came across this trashy area. I took the picture with my cell phone, so it isn't the best, but if you click on the photos you will get a better idea.

If everyone did their best to reduce the amount of trash they produce and to dispose of the trash they do responsibly, then we wouldn't have to be embarrasssed when we have company. We can all pick up around our houses and businesses. I have to do a litter patrol around our house at least once a week to pick up the trash people through out of their cars.

In addition to the annual Sikes Lake cleanup, the Rolling Plains Texas Master Naturalist chapter cleans up Plum Lake quarterly. The Friends of Lake Arrowhead State Park host at least one park cleanup a year and there are several groups that do Adopt-a-Highway areas. The one I participate in is along Sisk Road with the Red River Sierra Club group. Annually the Keep Wichita Falls Beautiful hosts a city-wide cleanup in April.

There are lots of places that need a cleanup. Take a trash bag with you when you walk, get involved in one of the groups that does a cleanup, or organize a group yourself.

Earth Day 2013

Two people, 2.5 hours, can make a difference!

 What did you do to celebrate Earth Day this year? I had a pretty decent day, overall. First I went out for the Red River Sierra Club trash cleanup for our Adopt-a-Highway segment on Sisk Rd. This time, only Joy Parsons and I showed up. However, we picked up a lot of trash in 2.5 hours as you can see in the photo of Joy next to our trash to the left.

Chris Ross with his hydroponics unit

After I cleaned up a little, I headed to River Bend Nature Center for the annual Earth Day event. Although going to RBNC is always a treat, I must say I was a little disappointed with the event. However, I was able to catch up with several people I know and needed to talk to, the event still worked for me. There were probably several people there who had never been to RBNC and had a chance to visit the conservatory and walk the trails, so that's all good. One display that was especially interesting to me was a gentleman who had a hydroponics display. The lower tank has fish in it and the upper containers, vegetables. No chemical fertilizers. The person with the display is Chris Ross. He said a larger unit could have tilapia in the lower tank (this one had gold fish.) He is willing to help others put a unit together for free if they buy the supplies. He indicated a unit like his would cost $250 - $300 if you bought everything new. I have his phone number. Contact me by email at green.wichitafalls@gmail.com for a phone number.