Dozens Turn Out For Creek Cleanup

LEE CREEK, Ark. -- Beer bottles, cigarette butts and diapers were just a few of the items volunteers found hiding near the banks of Lee Creek Saturday morning. More than 100 volunteers banded together to rid the area of all trash and litter in an effort to beautify one of Arkansas' natural beauties.

"I've paddled the creek before and it's a beautiful stream," said Debbie Doss, a member of the Arkansas Canoe Club, and one of the volunteers that spent several hours picking up trash in the area surrounding Lee Creek.

Doss came all the way from the Little Rock area to take part in the first-ever organized clean-up of Lee Creek. Volunteers covered the length of the creek, from the creek's head near West Fork to where it meets up with the Arkansas River near Van Buren.

Everyone involved cited the importance of maintaining the area's water resources as the main motivating factor for them.

"One of the special things about Arkansas is that we have so many beautiful, free-flowing streams that are still in the best quality and best condition of any rivers in the country," Doss said.

"Nobody wants a swimming hole to be trashed. We want to take care of this water so it will be here for future generations," said John Pennington, who works for the Washington County Extension Office and advises farmers on how to keep waterways clean.

He said several different government agencies teamed up with private groups and individual citizens to make the cleanup possible. Everyone involved hopes their effort will influence the users of the creek to be more careful about picking up their trash when they're enjoying the water.

"Whenever we go to the river, we like to leave everything cleaner than we found it. Everyday's a cleanup for us," Doss said.

The event's organizers hope to make the cleanup an annual event. Next week, the Great Arkansas Cleanup will take place along the Arkansas River in Fort Smith.