Ever since I have known her, Gail has had a passion for cleaning up the environment. Unlike most of us who complain about trash and litter, Gail actually is out there cleaning it up. I help her at times, especially when it involves going into secluded areas, where Daisy and I have her back. Keeping the 8 mile stretch of Yachats River Road leading into town clean is almost a daily mission. Her dedication has been noticed and appreciated by many who live here. She even received a medal of recognition from the Adlers that she proudly wears when harvesting litter. The following are some pics of recent endeavors. There are often "surprises" and patterns of behavior litterbugs have that make one curious about who they are, where they live, and why they do what they do. Who is it that tosses out a Pendleton Whiskey bottle along the road seemingly everyday? Is he or she trying to hide a drinking issue from a partner? What about the container that held a massive sex toy? What's the story behind deserted underwear and other clothes? So many questions! Sometimes we find tools like knives and machetes. Another bonus is all the money Gail has earned from cans.
It turned out that this property was privately owned by someone living in the Willamette Valley and word got back to him that we had done a big cleanup. He called to thank us and said he would make a donation to SWIFTY. It will take us a few weeks to channel this debris through our trash can pickup service.
"The Happy Warrior"
There are a number of unofficial campsites between the road and the river. We joke that we are campground hosts getting spots cleaned up for the next arrivals. Sometimes moldy tents, furniture, and sleeping bags are left for us.
The last people to camp here apparently had a lot of free time to decorate the environment with "art", some of which we did leave.
1 comment:
This is both inspiring *and* amusing. I would almost think that Gail sleepwalked and made that forest art. :) Good for her for cleaning up that eclectic array of..."objects!" Matt and I will help out when we are there.
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