Volunteers will be crawling all over Winton Woods this weekend looking for garbage. Great Parks of Hamilton County is holding its annual spring cleaning at the lake.
Volunteer engagement specialist Joe Von Allman says they're trying to make a difference for the entire watershed.
“Winton Lake is in a populated area. It’s surrounded by roadways. There’s all kinds of ways that this litter can collect,” he says. “It’s people not disposing of it in proper ways, which is unfortunate. It’s mishaps happening, where the lake floods, and maybe it’s taking some trash on its way.”
Von Allman says volunteers are split into different teams with some concentrating on the shoreline, and others focusing on streams flowing into the lake.
“What we do is divide volunteers amongst several different sites around Winton Woods. That’s either along lake shorelines, or along creeks that tribute into Winton Lake. We attack at all angles.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the lake was designed with flood control in mind, so it pulls in water and other liquids and solids from a number of creeks and streams.
Von Allman says the clean-up isn't just about making the park look good.
“There’s critters who call that space home that this litter is directly impacting,” he says. “Also, this stuff isn’t breaking down any time soon.”
He says some years volunteers have collected more than 100 bags of trash, with things ranging from fast food wrappers, cans and bottles to car parts and 40 gallon drums.
“It’s important to get it out and return that area to its natural state so these plants and animals can thrive,” he says. “It’s also just leaching the trash into the soil itself and changing the environment around it.”
Registration for this weekend is closed, but Von Allman says more clean-ups at other parks are planned.
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