The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

March 31, 2006

Beaver Creek spring cleaning Monday

By Michelle James

Parts of Beaver Creek will get a facelift Monday when the Raleigh County Make it Shine Committee meets as part of its annual spring cleanup.

Sherrie Hunter, committee co-chair, says this is the third year the group has worked on Beaver Creek.

“There’s a phenomenal number of ways litter spreads,” Hunter said. “It’s not always that someone has dumped their garbage or disposed of it improperly, though. Sometimes they put it in bags and dogs rip them open or the wind carries it away and in the Beaver Creek area it sometimes gets in the creek and flows downstream.”

Hunter says cleaning up Beaver Creek is important because U.S. 19, which is the area of the creek that will be cleaned, is a main entrance into Beckley.

“Many people travel that way,” she said. “It’s really a gateway into the city.”

Cleaning up the area, Hunter says, could help attract tourists and businesses, making a positive economic impact on the area.

Committee co-chair Jeremiah Johnson says a number of things have been pulled from the creek during cleanup in past years.

“There’s the common bottles and fast food wrappers and containers and tires,” he said. “Last year, though, we found a a big metal toolbox in the creek. It (the items found) would surprise you.”

Johnson says he hopes to see a large number of volunteers come out for the cleanup, particularly residents of the Beaver area.

“We’d really appreciate all the help we can get.

Anyone interested in helping the cleanup is asked to meet at the Kroger parking lot in Beaver at 2 p.m.

Johnson said gloves, litter sticks, safety vests and trash bags will be provided, but advises that participants should wear long pants and boots.

For more information, or in the event of bad weather, Johnson says volunteers should call 252-7328.

— E-mail: mjames@register-herald.com

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