Outfitted in waders and trash bags, children made their way through Hick Creek picking up garbage in the water and along the banks. This was the first time members from the Mountain Home Park and Recreation L.C. Sammons Youth Center cleaned the creek in Cooper Park, which was littered with items like plastic bags, flip-flops and a loaf of bread.
"It's heartbreaking," said Enna Finnegan, 10, commenting on the trash her team pulled out of the creek, which included beer cans and cigarette butts. Twenty-three youth center members signed up to participate in the stream cleanup, which program coordinator Nick Arnold hopes to be a bi-weekly activity.
"It teaches kids about conservation," Arnold said. "When it rains, we get a lot of trash." He added because of the limited parks and recreation department personnel, people are not always available to clean the stream that runs through the park.
Before cleanup, Arnold told youth center members about the importance of having clean watersheds, because pollution can destroy the waters.
The youth center members enjoyed cleaning the stream although they were disgusted with some of the trash they found, they said.
Organizations sponsoring the cleanup were Friends of the North Fork and White Rivers, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and North Arkansas Fly Fishers. Arkansas Rural Water Association also partnered with the group for the activity.
The above was taken from the Baxter Bulletin
