Earth Day April 16, 2011 and Clean Up Success
Through a light drizzle and brisk cool wind four bold and intrepid volunteers, organized by the Valley of the Fox Sierra club and Friends of Big Woods Preserve, scoured the open grassland and a watery wetland lake to collect trash from the natural area. The usual items of plastic and glass bottles, paper, and other garbage was removed along with large landscape timbers discarded in the grasses as well as condoms, alcohol beverage containers, and large cardboard boxes.
Removing these items not only restores a sense of cleanliness and civility to the community but also, and very importantly, protects wildlife that might otherwise ingest harmful objects or get entangled in plastic bags, sacks, or, in one case, a discarded cookie cutter. Trash can also affect the flora of the preserve by changing soil composition through pollution, compact soil so new shoots can not emerge, prevent sunlight from reaching plants, and remaining as none decomposable eyesores. See example of what can happen to turtles trapped by garbage (Buck, 2009). Follow link below.
Don’t wait for Earth Day to pick up trash.
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County has many volunteer opportunities for participation in clean up days. The Friends of Big Woods will continue to organize clean up days for Big Woods. However, if it is safe to do so, pick up litter and trash as you find it. Better yet, prevent trash from getting into the preserve by making sure recyclables cannot be blown out of the bin on windy days. Secure trash cans as well. Bring reusable cloth bags for shopping which will greatly reduce the litter from plastic bags. When done with out door activities, be sure to clean up food items including beverage containers. Make Everyday Earth Day.
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| Ranger Peterson, Terri V. and Mary H. with some of the trash collected. |
Buck. (2009, April 24th) Animal Welfare: Turtle deformed from six-pack plastic ring. The Conservation Report. Retrieved from http://conservationreport.com/2009/04/24/animal-welfare-turtle-deformed-by-being-trapped-in-a-six-pack-plastic-ring/
