It's A Dirty Job. Thank Goodness Someone Will Do It!

Volunteers from our community and beyond are responsible for the heath and cleanliness of our local streams, lead by the tireless efforts of Betsy McMilllion, Stream Watch Director for Friends of the Patapsco Valley & Heritage Greenway. Saturday, April 5, while many of us were delivering mulch, 10 Stream Clean Up groups where busy combing the Patapsco tributaries in search of debris. One group of 45 volunteers (13 adults, 32 children) spent three hours pulling 2000 lbs of muddy trash from Coopers Run, the stream that runs beside the #9 Trolly Trail. The Trolly Trail Team Captain is a resident of Oella and her crew consisted of wonderful people from Salem Lutheran Church, the Venture Crew of Troop 456, Owings Mills High School ESOL Program (students from 8 different countries), and of course, the Friends of the Patapsco Valley & Heritage Greenway

Each year, Betsy organizes at least 30 Stream Clean Up Days in the Catonsville/Ellicott City area, one of which is always along Coopers Run. On this particular day they found: bottles, cans, plastic bags, 12 tires, metal drums, bed springs, street signs, metal and ceramic pipes, hub cap, water tank for truck, tent poles and remains of tent, chaise lounge and cushion, lawn chair, 2 sleds, skate board, baseball bat, car battery, old freezer and compressor – weight at least 250 lbs., 2 hypodermic needles (caps on) and enough trash to fill 70 large trash bags. (If any of these items are yours and you were hoping to reclaim them, sorry the highway crew picked it all up this week.)

On a warm weekend we can see how much Catonsville enjoys the local trails. Some Saturdays you need a reservation just to walk your dog along the trail. We know these trails are treasures but the folks who get down and dirty in the streams are treasures too! THANKS, the stream looks great!

If you would like more information about local trails, including #9 Trolly Trail, you can learn more on the following website
http://www.patapscoheritagegreenway.org/recreation/hiking.html

There is another Stream Clean Up planned for this weekend. Volunteers are always welcome!