Residents join in Earth Day cleanup efforts

A light sprinkle throughout the morning didn't dampen the spirits of Earth Day enthusiasts who cheerfully cleaned up three areas of Carson City Saturday.

The event is sponsored annually by the Carson City Parks and Recreation Department and Chamber of Commerce.

At Fremont Elementary School, Park Planner Vern Krahn handed out Earth Day T-shirts created especially for participants, and dispensed safety tips to prevent people from mishaps of previous years, such as twisted ankles, insect bites and bee stings.

More than 35 people armed with tools and trash bags provided by the city poked delicately along the Linear Ditch and pathway plucking plastic water bottles and other trash out of the creek and from along the banks.

Tonya Laney, director of human resources for the Carson Nugget, heard about the event from Tillery Williams, Carson City's volunteer coordinator.

"He asked if we would participate, so we did, and we donated waters and Gatorade," Laney said. "Even though I live in Bordertown, I work in Carson City and all my employees live here, so I thought I'd like to come here today with my family and get involved."

Shania Wood, 14, Laney's daughter, said she believed it was important to help.

"I know I wouldn't want to live in a community with lots of trash, so I wanted to help clean up," she said.

Stephanie Munoz brought her four sons out to help them develop community pride.

"I just figured it was good for them to have respect for our city and help clean it up," Munoz said. "I think that goes hand in hand. And, all my boys went to Fremont."

Jeff Moser of Muscle Powered also came out to support the cause.

"I try to practice this (outdoor) lifestyle every day, so it's nice to be able to it with other people," Moser said. "I wanted to come out and help clean up the trash, because I like to keep our parks looking nice."

David Navarro brought his two sons along.

"My boys understand what Earth Day is all about and we wanted to participate in this to help clean up the area," he said.

Krahn was pleased with the number of people involved in the effort.

"The turnout is remarkable considering that it's cold and rainy today, and they're still coming," Krahn said.

"We have a good-sized group that turned out from the Carson Nugget - they're always big supporters - and also, people from the Carson City Employees Association and Girl Scout Troop 196," he said.

At another cleanup site, the Moffat Open Space property, more than two dozen people turned out to help, including 10-15 people from Southwest Gas. Another dozen or so showed up to help at the other cleanup site at Retail Drive, Krahn said.

Waste Management donated four 30-yard Dumpsters to the city to use for the cleanup.

Williams said last week that the city works with the chamber on a number of cleanups every year, so this year, the push was for one major project. The focus was on some of the trails and areas which don't generally get the kind of attention the bigger or neighborhood parks do.ꆱ