Trending
Earth Day is fast-approaching, and though we should all be thinking about ways to be kinder to the earth (and, therefore, its inhabitants), the observance does tend to offer us some unusual opportunities.
Among them is this year's Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District Earth Day Cleanup Challenge. It's a two-part effort to clean up our region's lakes. Saturday, the organized cleanups will take place at Charles Mill, Clendening, Piedmont and Pleasant Hill Lakes. Another round will take place April 22, at Atwood, Tappan and Seneca Lakes.
Groups interested in participating can call 330-556-4814 or email Ethan Zucal at ezucal@mwcd.org.
Those who cannot participate as part of an organized group -- walkers, hikers and boaters -- are encouraged to put on a pair of gloves and take a trash bag with them on their adventures between Saturday and April 23. Those who post a photo with the hashtag #MWCDEarthDay2023 will be entered into a drawing for a prize-filled cooler and a gift certificate.
"The MWCD lakes provide a destination for millions in our region to enjoy outdoor recreation," says Adria Bergeron, director of marketing and communications. "Keeping the water and shoreline clean is imperative for wildlife to thrive and the lakes beautiful. Earth Day serves as a reminder of our responsibility to care for nature and our environment and to engage with the community for their help. The MWCD rangers and staff conduct cleanups year-round, not just on Earth Day. We are inviting the public to get involved by attending an organized clean-up to earn a free night of camping, or clean-up on their own and enter to win a cooler full of goodies, as our way of saying thank you."
That's a nice incentive package to get some of us to do what we really should be aiming for all year round. But, then again, the kinds of people and organizations that will be interested in a cleanup challenge aren't the ones dirtying up the region to begin with. For them, the free camping and other prizes are likely not the motivation for such work.
If you are able, then, consider lending a hand this weekend or next.