Page 18 - fall the rock 2015

18 Friends oF red rock canyon Friends oF red rock canyon 19

Canyon Cleanup - Talking Trash By Sharon Schaaf have found money on the trails, almost every session. My husband

from coins to a twenty-dollar
John found a car radio by the
Photos by Liz Carmer
bill. Found money goes into Visitor Center Fee Station last
the Friends donation box at the year, and he reminded me that we
As a longtime member of the Canyon Clean-Up Team, I know that we always find Visitor Center. always find bags of dog poop on
some unique “treasures” as we work. At our work session this past April, Dwight the trails…all bagged up and left
Hempel happened upon one of our most unique finds - an anonymous thank you Coming in right behind the for “someone” to pick up.
letter to God. It got the group remembering some of the other “treasures” we have cigarette butts for frequency
found in the past. Janis Kadlec led the group for
several years
and remembers
Red Springs seems to be could probably fund trail repair bananas, ate it and left the peel a member of the
the best place to find one-of- at Red Rock Canyon for the next on the ground next to the truck. Cleanup Crew
a-kind trash. Volunteers have five years! And if it’s shiny and Recently, the wash at First Creek finding something
found a car bumper, two trash brown, it’s probably part of a yielded a suitcase. This is not big wrapped in a
bags full of rotting packaged broken beer bottle, thrown over the first time we’ve found a blanket. Not sure
meat, several dead animals, the side of the Overlook wall. suitcase and they’re not always what it was, she
men’s and women’s underwear, A truck carrying our supplies empty. It’s a little scary to open reported it to the
jeans, condoms, diapers, a man’s of pickers, gloves, trash bags, one since you never know what Bureau of Land Lauretta Coleman and no beer
watch, champagne glasses with water, bananas and fruit snacks might be inside. And yes, we Management
a bottle and a backpack with a is always parked where we work. (BLM). Law large for us to haul-out or items
smartphone inside. It is left open to enforcement that might pose a danger such as
handled it and
a weapon. Any damage or graffiti
The Overlook is another area we keep the cleaners found that it was a that the crew spots on the trails is
often clean. It is the place for hydrated or for Do we search for the rest of the car? dead dog. also reported.
cigarette butts and sometimes use if they need a
even marijuana joints. Some of break during the are the receipts from paying We enjoy our
Volunteers dedicated to the preservation of Red Rock Canyon
the bushes that ring the parking 90 minute work the fee at the entry booth and work knowing that
lot look like ashtrays. If the crew session. This those dental floss picks. Another we have made a
had $1 for every butt we’ve past summer, frequent find are orange peels, positive difference
picked up over the years, we someone took empty and full water bottles and for Red Rock
one of our empty beer bottles – no one ever Canyon. We get
leaves a full beer bottle behind. thank you’s all the
The cleaners at Red Springs time from hikers,
even found coconuts during one tourists and bikers.
work session. Occasionally there
are toys. We have found metal Doing the work is
and plastic toy cars, buckets and our pleasure and to
shovels, all sorts of balls and The Cleanup Crew is ready for action all of you who visit
even a plastic fighter jet. Red Rock Canyon, “you are very
Lauretta Coleman found a small Liz Carmer leads the group now welcome!”
animal jawbone a few years and it falls on her to report things
ago - maybe a fox, and Karen we find that need to be reported
Cunningham finds bailing wire to BLM. This includes objects too

Letter to God You can join the Canyon Cleanup Team! Contact Liz Carmer at
cleanup@friendsofredrockcanyon.org for more details

the Rock - Volume 6 Issue 1 Fall 2015