Tuesday, June 20, 2000

This weekend brought a refreshing change to Lawrence County. Not only did storms bring some much-needed rain but dozens of volunteers cleared away some of the trash that washes away down the Ohio River during those storms.

It seems like every week, we hear about how trash litters our proud waterway.

Whether it’s the big city newspapers casting out remarks about Appalachian habits or a well meaning fisherman reporting on the condition of his favorite spot, the trash tales come quite often.

Saturday, however, a group of people decided to do something about it, just as they have done for several years.

Dozens of people got out in the early morning, despite the threat of storms, to show up for River Sweep 2000.

They grabbed garbage bags, donned gloves and combed the riverfronts looking for trash at the. And each bag hauled away added that much more to the beauty of our river.

It’s amazing what ends up in the river, really.

Near the Symmes Creek Boat Ramp, they pulled out a rusty lawnmower. In Ironton, scrap metal, whiskey bottles and old diapers made their way to the trash dumpster.

And it’s amazing who comes out for the annual cleanup, besides those river lovers who live right beside her. Others who pitched in included our young adults, people who live far away from the water’s edge and even some who were visiting from out of town.

We could take lessons from all of this.

As the old slogan goes, "Give a hoot; don’t pollute."

Now it’s time to start a new one, "Fill the county with pride; help clean up the riverside."