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.

Hotter 'n Hell Hundred (HHH)

Today is the HHH here in Wichita Falls. As seems to happen just before HHH every year, the temperatures broke. For the last several weeks we have been over 100 degrees everyday. For the past few days the weather has been relatively moderate. A good thing for the riders, but they must wonder about the name of the event.

A good thing about the HHH this year is that they are collecting recyclables at the rest stops for the city composting program. There was an article in the Times Record News this week, although I haven't been able to find a link to that article on the web site. This should remove a lot of compostable materials from the waste stream. Good for the HHH committee and the City of Wichita Falls for working together.

One thing that has rather surprised me is that Wichita Falls is not a more bike-friendly city. I do see many bikers on the city trails when I am out. The city buses have a way for bike riders to transport their bikes. However, most of the main roads don't have room for bikes to ride safely and their is no place to secure bikes at most businesses. The local Sierra Club was talking with some MSU students about making and setting up bike stands at some locations. I don't know what happened to that idea. Money was a sticking point.

It would be nice for the Hotter 'n Hell to be a catalyst for more biking opportunities in the Falls.

Wichita Falls MTP Bicycle Master Plan

I stopped in to the Transportation Master Plan Public Meeting tonight, primarily because I was interested in the biking portion. The Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) plans for transportation for more than Wichita Falls proper (although that is the major portion.)

Usually at a public meeting, you sit through a presentation and then have an opportunity to ask questions and make comments. However, at this meeting, they had maps and reports on various parts of the plan set up around the room with people top answer questions. So I was able to go directly to the portion I was interested in and get one-on-one attention, especially as I arrived early and they were already set up and ready to go.

I've put a map to the left on the proposed bike plans. The green circle is the circle hike/bike trail system already underway. I did ask the representative what a "bike facility" was. It is a dedicated bike lane on a street or a dedicated bike avenue separated from the road. A Class 3 bike route is a sign posted route on the road for bikes to use.

I left my comments at the meeting. I encourage others who want to see the city encourage greener transportation options to chime in as well. The full bicycling plan is 101 pages, but worth a quick scan and more in-depth study by those interested in this issue. My reasons for supporting more biking options in the city:

- Fewer cars on the road; better air quality

- Fewer cars on the road; reduce wear and tear on infrastructure

- Improved health for those riding bikes

- Opportunity to capitalize on our biking reputation with Hotter 'n Hell

-- Add additional short events during the year (tourism dollars)

-- Encourage other biking related businesses (training facilities, manufacturing, etc.)

If you have thoughts on this topic, please send your comments to the MPO.