Viewpoints
Clean Up & Poster Contest
By Jerry Cegelske
June 03, 2007
Sunday
People have been at work the last two months trying to clean
up the Whitman Creek area and South Tongass highway. There are
several spots where people have dumped cars, trucks, and trash
over the last 40 years or so. Now it is time to clean these areas
up and hopefully keep them clean.
Parts of vehicles removed
from the shores of George Inlet.
Last summer the Borough received a $35,000 grant from the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service through the Southeast Alaska Coastal
Conservation Program and the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program
to remove much of the solid waste which is not able to be cleaned
up by volunteers. In cleaning up the vehicles and trash, we will
hopefully remove some eyesores and decrease the pollution going
into the ocean. In picking up the trash along the road, we have
collected bottles of acid, bleach, and deck cleaner as well as
other materials which should not be dumped along the road.
Wade Purdy of Purdy's Totem Towing has been pulling junk cars
from the shores of George Inlet along S. Tongass. They aren't
pretty when he gets them to the road. Some have been left along
the road due to the construction problems and delays, but Wade
will get them out of there soon. They are something different
for the tourists to look at.
In an attempt to keep people from dumping more material once
we get the areas cleaned up, we will put some signs in these
locations. Since we don't seem to have much luck using the standard
government provided signs, I asked the kids at Fawn Mountain
Elementary school to provide some posters we could laminate and
place at the dumping sites. Maybe people will pay attention to
their desires and signs.
Some of the students
that entered the contest.
I asked Principal Barb Roberts what the school would like as
a reward for their assistance and hard work. Barb replied that
they would like some trees for landscaping around the school.
On Tuesday, May 29th I picked up the posters and formed a committee
to review and select the winners of the poster contest. On the
Thursday I met with Barb and the children and announced the winners.
It was interesting that there was a brother and sister who each
won a prize. The prizes consisted of two arborvitae, two apple
trees, four Japanese maples, and three mugho pines which were
donated by North Shore Gardens, Wal-Mart, and the Ketchikan Gateway
Borough.
The trees given as
prizes for the winners of the poster contest for donation to
the school. A name plaque will be by each tree donated by a
student for their contribution.
While many of the people in the community, older than the students,
refuse to change their ways and continue to litter, allow trash
to be blown from their trucks, and don't take care of their trash,
it was encouraging to see the children's ideas on what they thought
needed to be done to keep Ketchikan clean. It was rewarding to
see the children's enthusiasm while I showed them the winning
posters and explained what we would be doing with them. Maybe
they have that enthusiasm because they will be inheriting the
world we leave for them, and they would like it a in a little
cleaner than it is now.
Jerry Cegelske
Ketchikan, AK
Received May 31, 2007 - Published June 03, 2007
Winning Posters
Cleanup Photographs
A truck bed with trash
in it from the shores of George Inlet.
One of the junk cars
removed by Wade Purdy as part of the Fish and Wildlife Grant
to clean up the Whitman Creek area and S. Tongass areas.
Another vehicle discarded
for others to take care of...
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