In a conversation with a Bill Webster of the Arizona State Land Office, Sue Schaffer was asked how many volunteers attended the cleanup on the 16th. When informed that 177 volunteers were signed in to work, he pronounced that it was the largest force of its kind, ever, in the history of Arizonas' volunteer cleanup programs!
Girl Scout Troop 1450 on the scene
This group of girl scouts had their own site
and what a difference they made.
Soroptimist International of Gold Canyon would like to thank you for your support and participation in the successful trash cleanup in the backyard of our community. 177 volunteers began showing up in semidarkness at 6:30AM, all dedicated to improving our local environment. 64 of these people were students from Peralta Trail, Gold Canyon Elementary Schools and Thunder Mountain Middle School. A State official tells us this is an all-time Arizona State record for a volunteer cleanup program. Approximately 35 organizations took part in this seemingly impossible task by providing manpower, food and drinks, supplies, trucks, trailers and heavy equipment.
Thanks to you we were able to clean up the 6 ½ mile road as well as 8 major dump sites where teams of volunteers cleared trash with the assistance of trucks, trailers and tractors. In less than 4 hours, the majority of volunteers were headed home with smiles on their faces and a great sense of accomplishment in their hearts.
We hope that this project will lead to further involvement with the community in protecting and maintaining our beautiful desert. The greater the public awareness and education about illegal dumping, illegal target shooting and littering that takes place in our own backyard, the greater chance that we all can deter those individuals who think it doesn’t matter. In an effort to continue this worthwhile endeavor, SIGC has developed a web site. Be sure to support our partnerships with environmental groups Tread Lightly!®, Respected Access.org and Superstition Area Land Trust.