A
small group of volunteers took on a big project Saturday with a cleanup
of trash in and around the Red River.
Members of the Red
River Watershed Association worked at four places, two in Tennessee and
two in Kentucky, cleaning up trash in and around creeks. Watershed
Association President Jim Pascoe said although the group is still in a
grass-roots stage, it has received a lot of support.
"I know we have
seen a lot of interest," Pascoe said. "They've been telling us
we've been doing a good job and keep going. We're headed in the right
direction.
Pascoe was joined by
four members of Girl Scout Troop 3415 and Ira Lund and his son, Shenli.
Lund said besides wanting to help the association with its cause, his
son, an eighth-grader at Rossview Middle School, needs a certain number
of hours of community service for a church program.
"We are glad to
help," Lund said
They walked down
Trenton Road at Spring Creek collecting litter around the area. Lund
said the creek itself didn't look too bad.
"It's pretty
clean down in the water," Lund said. "It's just the edge of
the road where all the trash is."
Pascoe said the
creek was in good shape partly because of heavy traffic. In more rural,
less crowded areas, the waters become much more polluted.
"I've seen
refrigerators, washing machines, shopping carts near Buzzard
Creek," Pascoe said. "(Trenton) Road is busy. People don't
want to litter in front of other people, so it's not too bad here."
The association is a
byproduct of the Cumberland River Compact, an organization intent on
improving the quality of the Cumberland River and its tributaries.
The group created a
Watershed Outreach Program in each of the 14 watersheds that make up the
Cumberland Basin. The Red River is one of them.
Pascoe said the
group is not as far along as he'd like it to be, but it just started
about a year ago.
He said he wants to
teach people about the importance of clean water.
"Within the
last 10 years, Clarksville and Springfield have seen a lot of
growth," Pascoe said. "With more development here, more
rainwater runs across asphalt and drains into the creek.
"The water is
extremely dirty," he said.
Stephen Holmes can
be reached at 245-0236 or by e-mail at stephen holmes@theleafchronicle.com.
Originally
published Sunday, November 17, 2002
BACK TO THE CLEAN-UPS
Red
River Watershed Association
