April Showers Bring May.....

I bet you thought I was going to say “flowers”!  Well, spring rains bring flowers but they also bring trash to our greenways, streams, and parks.  Within the past week and a half TMN members have participated in two trash clean up events at local parks and trails.  The first was on April 26^th and involved trash collection along the Carter Creek Trail and retention pond near the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History in Bryan.  This event included TMN members and several geocachers… people who “use GPS to find Tupperware hidden in the woods”.  The goal was the same for both groups though… clean up the trash! 

The TMNers who cleaned up Carter Creek Trail... minus Jackie who had already left.  Thanks for your help!

We did a great job removing 12+ bags of trash from the area… most of it being washed in along Carter Creek or from the nearby big box store parking lots.  We picked up trash and rocked to oldies music provided by the classic auto show going on in the parking area.

Trash removed along Carter Creek Trail and the retention pond behind the Brazos Museum of Natural History in Bryan.

The second clean up event occurred this past weekend on May 2^nd at Gabbard and Brison Parks in College Station.  These parks were adopted by the Chapter through the City of College Station’s Adopt-a-Greenway program and we will be going out at least twice a year to pick up trash.  The City will put a sign up letting the public know the Chapter is involved with keeping the parks clean.  Not a bad deal!

Five TMNers participated and within about 2 hours we removed 10 bags worth of trash.  Again, most of the trash being plastic stuff along the waterway (Bee Creek).  This time the hazards included poison ivy which is all over Brison Park, thorns, mud, and mosquitos.

Donell cleaning up in Brison Park.

TMNers who cleaned up Gabbard and Brison Parks.

PLASTIC is the big problem!  Please urge neighbors, family members, and friends to use reusable bags when shopping!!  We weren’t able to clean up all the plastic trash along the stream at Brison Park… the thorns and underbrush (and poison ivy!) were just too thick in some places.  We hope to plan a more extensive clean-up along the waterway in the late fall or winter when the plants die back a bit. 

Plastic trash along Bee Creek in Brison Park.

Thanks to everyone who came out to clean-up!  If you weren’t able to make it this time around I hope you can come out next time!