Over the winter months informal chats at get-togethers and on the BRILLO Forum indicated that the 'padders were going to have a Banner Year. And that phrase banner Year turned out to be on the mark. The tireless(well, somewhat tireless)planners met in February to plan for an April or May Spring Pickup. The success of 2007 buoyed our hopes of even more ambitious goals.
The Planners Planning
One notable step forward was contact with Tom Youngblood of the Department of Highways. He indicated that non-violent offending inmates might be available for litter pickups along State Route 9, one of the 2 "Gateways" into the State from the western 'burbs of Northern Virginia and Maryland. The stretch of highway, two lanes with blind curves and hills, was considered too dangerous for a citizen cleanup.
Near the Shenandoah Bridge
Irony?
On several successive days in March, residents were startled to see inmates in orange jumpsuits cleaning the road's berms. For a short time the roadsides were clean and the "Gateway" was becoming less of a disgusting sight to both tourists and residents alike. Mr. Youngblood's crews did a beautiful job. Unfortunately, litterbugs, philanthropists that they are, felt the need to keep contributing. The roads were neat as a pin for at least a short time. Thanks Tom, your assistance was very much appreciated and we look forward to more inmate cleanups!
Atop The Mountain
Near Torlone's
While the Department of Highways was doing its job to fight litter, BRILLO was preparing to fight the problem on Mission Road and the Banner year predicted was about to become a reality with Pickle's donation of a double banner to span the road. It announced the Spring Pickup, for the first time, a two day event on successive weekends. Pickle's contribution produced our largest turnout to date.
The first day of the pickups finally arrives and the concomitant table with Black Dog Coffee and Jenniffer's home baked scones is set out to provide energy to our "delitterers". The al fresca snacks were perfectly suited to a beautiful day and for the nasty work ahead. The plans are more ambitious than before as a good deal of trash accumulated over the nearly 10 year hiatus between organized collections had been removed in the past 2 years' work along Mission Road.
Victuals
It's not all work and the 'padders enjoy some good natured fun while waiting for the crowd to gather. @Wormdoc and Black Dog ham it up for the camera. The Potentate of Parasites and the Baron of Beans certainly brighten any day!
The Baron and the Potentate
Now don't let our frivolity fool you. Litter collection is as serious business. It involves stooping and reaching and lifting at the same time being passed by vehicles on roads often with little or no berms and poor lines of sight. That coupled with encounters with snakes and bees and, particularly in our area, deer ticks make collection worthy of hazardous duty designation. The state has guidelines and rules that are to be followed for the safety of both the picker-uppers and motorists. Standard operating procedure requires a briefing of the rules prior to setting out to fill the orange bags.
In a show of strength, the BRILLOpadders assemble in front of the Mountain Community Center before setting out on their adventure March 29th.
And on April 5th the throng still teems.
Since the first few collections, the group stopped stockpiling all the bags collected. The scope of the pickups has expanded and the dangers of stopping to pick up and haul them to a single point was considered too hazardous. Some areas necessitated gathering some bags to be put in areas where the Department of Highways could dispose of them.
That still doesn't stop our photographers from recording small deposits of the gift that keeps on giving.
One of the rules is to leave road kill alone. that goes for the carcasses irresponsible hunters leave along the road. But in some cases, the find is poignantly sad. The 'padders found two discarded piglets and a few of our group insisted on a burial of the poor porkers. We all were thankful it wasn't a full grown steer.
The Spring Pickup over, the following was submitted and printed by the Spirit Of Jefferson Newspaper:
BRILLO Braves Blustery Breezes to Bag Bottles and Beer Cans
On successive Saturdays the Blue Ridge Litter Look Out (BRILLO) 'padders collected litter on 4 miles of Mission Road and about 10 miles of byways in neighboring communities. Sadly, litter is the gift that keeps on giving, or we should say that our neighborhoods can rely on irresponsible litterers to keep on providing plenty of trash to pick up. The effort this spring was an ambitious one and more BRILLOpadders than ever were on hand to help.
The total of over 50 volunteers resulted in about 75 orange vested, grabber wielding, picker-uppers over the two days. Yes, some of our dedicated members were present on both days! One hundred and ninety three(193) bags, a dozen tires(some with rims), a pink sexual appliance, bags of used and NEW syringes, a commode, a cell and cordless phone, enough car parts to build a VW Bug, a bag of dead fish(holy mackerel) and other items of interest too numerous to mention were generously donated by the litterbugs.
One important characteristic about the litter was that nearly eighty(80)% was comprised of cans and bottles. Special interests, primarily distributors and retailers, have time and again successfully lobbied against a bottle bill which would place a deposit on such containers. The amount of aluminum and glass being sent to the landfill to be buried (where it will last nearly forever) was staggering for just a few of West Virginia's roadways. What must it be Statewide?
BRILLO's triumph over trash validated the organization's decision to officially adopt four(4) miles of Mission Road(that's eight(8) miles of roadside!). In addition BRILLO will be helping to organize and conduct "mini-pick-ups" in communities upon request. These would be small groups of volunteers using the pick-up effort as a means of meeting new people to further Shannondale and Beyond(S&B)'s effort to bring a sense of community to the Blue Ridge Mountain. They will be "talking trash", arrrgh, did we really say that?
The 'padders of BRILLO would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to all who made the Spring cleaning such a huge success. These include, of course, our selfless volunteers, user Pickle who arranged for donation of the banner, users Black Dog and Jenniffer who provided coffee and home baked scones, the Sheriff's Department for providing traffic control, the Department of Highways in Leetown for supplies and collection the refuse and the REAP program whose Adopt-a-Highway program provided guidance and materials.
The list could go on and on but one group was very important to giving the 'padders a boost in the midst of a sometimes thankless chore. That group is you, the public, who waved and honked and yelled encouragement even as you were slowed somewhat by the picker-uppers' progress. BRILLO will beposting news and upcoming events(It's not all work, we'll beattending S&B's upcoming 5th annual picnic soon) in its forum on Shannondale.org and our website at Shannondale.org/brillo will have a more detailed account of our adventures soon.
The Spring Pickup over, the following was submitted and printed by the Spirit Of Jefferson Newspaper:
BRILLO Braves Blustery Breezes to Bag Bottles and Beer Cans
On successive Saturdays the Blue Ridge Litter Look Out(BRILLO) 'padders collected litter on 4 miles of Mission Road and about 10 miles of byways in neighboring communities. Sadly, litter is the gift that keeps on giving, or we should say that our neighborhoods can rely on irresponsible litterers to keep on providing plenty of trash to pick up. The effort this spring was an ambitious one and more BRILLOpadders than ever were on hand to help.
The total of over 50 volunteers resulted in about 75 orange vested, grabber wielding, picker-uppers over the two days. Yes, some of our dedicated members were present on both days! One hundred and ninety three(193) bags, a dozen tires(some with rims), a pink sexual appliance, bags of used and NEW syringes, a commode, a cell and cordless phone, enough car parts to build a VW Bug, a bag of dead fish(holy mackerel) and other items of interest too numerous to mention were generously donated by the litterbugs.
One important characteristic about the litter was that nearly eighty(80)% was comprised of cans and bottles. Special interests, primarily distributors and retailers, have time and again successfully lobbied against a bottle bill which would place a deposit on such containers. The amount of aluminum and glass being sent to the landfill to be buried (where it will last nearly forever) was staggering for just a few of West Virginia's roadways. What must it be Statewide?
BRILLO's triumph over trash validated the organization's decision to officially adopt four(4) miles of Mission Road(that's eight(8) miles of roadside!). In addition BRILLO will be helping to organize and conduct "mini-pick-ups" in communities upon request. These would be small groups of volunteers using the pick-up effort as a means of meeting new people to further Shannondale and Beyond(S&B)'s effort to bring a sense of community to the Blue Ridge Mountain. They will be "talking trash", arrrgh, did we really say that?
The 'padders of BRILLO would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to all who made the Spring cleaning such a huge success. These include, of course, our selfless volunteers, user Pickle who arranged for donation of the banner, users Black Dog and Jenniffer who provided coffee and home baked scones, the Sheriff's Department for providing traffic control, the Department of Highways in Leetown for supplies and collection the refuse and the REAP program whose Adopt-a-Highway program provided guidance and materials.
The list could go on and on but one group was very important to giving the 'padders a boost in the midst of a sometimes thankless chore. That group is you, the public, who waved and honked and yelled encouragement even as you were slowed somewhat by the picker-uppers' progress. BRILLO will be posting news and upcoming events(It's not all work, we'll be attending S&B's upcoming 5th annual picnic soon) in its forum on Shannondale.org and our website at Shannondale.org/brillo will have a more detailed account of our adventures soon.
The key to winning the litter control battle hinges on several factors. Enforcement, incentive (e.g. The Bottle Bill) and behavioral change. As the grunts in the battle we have direct control in the latter course of action. All we can do about the former two is pester our legislators. Getting youngsters involved is one of our top priorities. To that end, we've started sponsoring a litter poster/essay contest for the local elementary school(Home Schoolers will be included next year). The photo below shows the school on awards day where our representatives honored the winners.
BRILLO tried to tailor the competition to age groups. The submissions were precious and presented difficult choices. The winners were cute as buttons and also had some interesting views about litter. If only we can get the young ones to realize the nastiness of litter, perhaps the practice won't be passed from generation to generation. One of the saddest finds along the road are the Kids Meals from Fast Food eateries. When the children learn young that it is acceptable to trash the roadsides, it becomes a difficult practice to deter.
Tina, Randy, Wormie, Stan and Cissey met to judge the entries. The entries from both the younger students as well as the older competitors were well done making it a difficult task to choose the winners. The judges really enjoyed their work and found it very interesting how our youth, especially the younger students, view litter. Several of our padders had the opportunity to attend the awards ceremony at the BRE to see the winners presented with their award letters and monetary prizes.
Essay Winners
Poster Winners
And as the changing of the leaves begin and Summer is winding down, it's time for another planning session for the 'padders.
Due to some unforeseen circumstances, BRILLO will not use a banner for the Fall pickup. However, two new billboards will be erected to advertise the cleanup effort. The signs did get a little attention till they were righted.
The success of the Spring chore was a determining factor in allotting just one day to litter control this time 'round.
Although a thankless job, it's hard not to get a little chuckle at some of the items found along the side of the road. If we had our druthers, the judge would sentence litterers to take a seat on the throne with their names printed prominently on a placard.
There is BIG NEWS though! BRILLO has determined to lay it all on the line(betting jargon is used a lot in Jefferson County)and adopt 4 miles of Mission Road. This will obligate the crew to 3 collections a year but we get official signs to demonstrate our devotion to duty.
As usual our friends at the local paper were generous to post a news blurb about our never ending project. Make sure you click on the pic to read the news release without straining your peepers. We've got lots of plans for next year and will have a report soon on doin's in 2009.
A fitting way to come to a conclusion would be with an image of our Adopt-a-Highway sign.
The Planners Planning
One notable step forward was contact with Tom Youngblood of the Department of Highways. He indicated that non-violent offending inmates might be available for litter pickups along State Route 9, one of the 2 "Gateways" into the State from the western 'burbs of Northern Virginia and Maryland. The stretch of highway, two lanes with blind curves and hills, was considered too dangerous for a citizen cleanup.
Near the Shenandoah Bridge
Irony?
On several successive days in March, residents were startled to see inmates in orange jumpsuits cleaning the road's berms. For a short time the roadsides were clean and the "Gateway" was becoming less of a disgusting sight to both tourists and residents alike. Mr. Youngblood's crews did a beautiful job. Unfortunately, litterbugs, philanthropists that they are, felt the need to keep contributing. The roads were neat as a pin for at least a short time. Thanks Tom, your assistance was very much appreciated and we look forward to more inmate cleanups!
Atop The Mountain
Near Torlone's
While the Department of Highways was doing its job to fight litter, BRILLO was preparing to fight the problem on Mission Road and the Banner year predicted was about to become a reality with Pickle's donation of a double banner to span the road. It announced the Spring Pickup, for the first time, a two day event on successive weekends. Pickle's contribution produced our largest turnout to date.
The first day of the pickups finally arrives and the concomitant table with Black Dog Coffee and Jenniffer's home baked scones is set out to provide energy to our "delitterers". The al fresca snacks were perfectly suited to a beautiful day and for the nasty work ahead. The plans are more ambitious than before as a good deal of trash accumulated over the nearly 10 year hiatus between organized collections had been removed in the past 2 years' work along Mission Road.
Victuals
It's not all work and the 'padders enjoy some good natured fun while waiting for the crowd to gather. @Wormdoc and Black Dog ham it up for the camera. The Potentate of Parasites and the Baron of Beans certainly brighten any day!
The Baron and the Potentate
Now don't let our frivolity fool you. Litter collection is as serious business. It involves stooping and reaching and lifting at the same time being passed by vehicles on roads often with little or no berms and poor lines of sight. That coupled with encounters with snakes and bees and, particularly in our area, deer ticks make collection worthy of hazardous duty designation. The state has guidelines and rules that are to be followed for the safety of both the picker-uppers and motorists. Standard operating procedure requires a briefing of the rules prior to setting out to fill the orange bags.
In a show of strength, the BRILLOpadders assemble in front of the Mountain Community Center before setting out on their adventure March 29th.
And on April 5th the throng still teems.
Since the first few collections, the group stopped stockpiling all the bags collected. The scope of the pickups has expanded and the dangers of stopping to pick up and haul them to a single point was considered too hazardous. Some areas necessitated gathering some bags to be put in areas where the Department of Highways could dispose of them.
That still doesn't stop our photographers from recording small deposits of the gift that keeps on giving.
One of the rules is to leave road kill alone. that goes for the carcasses irresponsible hunters leave along the road. But in some cases, the find is poignantly sad. The 'padders found two discarded piglets and a few of our group insisted on a burial of the poor porkers. We all were thankful it wasn't a full grown steer.
The Spring Pickup over, the following was submitted and printed by the Spirit Of Jefferson Newspaper:
BRILLO Braves Blustery Breezes to Bag Bottles and Beer Cans
On successive Saturdays the Blue Ridge Litter Look Out (BRILLO) 'padders collected litter on 4 miles of Mission Road and about 10 miles of byways in neighboring communities. Sadly, litter is the gift that keeps on giving, or we should say that our neighborhoods can rely on irresponsible litterers to keep on providing plenty of trash to pick up. The effort this spring was an ambitious one and more BRILLOpadders than ever were on hand to help.
The total of over 50 volunteers resulted in about 75 orange vested, grabber wielding, picker-uppers over the two days. Yes, some of our dedicated members were present on both days! One hundred and ninety three(193) bags, a dozen tires(some with rims), a pink sexual appliance, bags of used and NEW syringes, a commode, a cell and cordless phone, enough car parts to build a VW Bug, a bag of dead fish(holy mackerel) and other items of interest too numerous to mention were generously donated by the litterbugs.
One important characteristic about the litter was that nearly eighty(80)% was comprised of cans and bottles. Special interests, primarily distributors and retailers, have time and again successfully lobbied against a bottle bill which would place a deposit on such containers. The amount of aluminum and glass being sent to the landfill to be buried (where it will last nearly forever) was staggering for just a few of West Virginia's roadways. What must it be Statewide?
BRILLO's triumph over trash validated the organization's decision to officially adopt four(4) miles of Mission Road(that's eight(8) miles of roadside!). In addition BRILLO will be helping to organize and conduct "mini-pick-ups" in communities upon request. These would be small groups of volunteers using the pick-up effort as a means of meeting new people to further Shannondale and Beyond(S&B)'s effort to bring a sense of community to the Blue Ridge Mountain. They will be "talking trash", arrrgh, did we really say that?
The 'padders of BRILLO would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to all who made the Spring cleaning such a huge success. These include, of course, our selfless volunteers, user Pickle who arranged for donation of the banner, users Black Dog and Jenniffer who provided coffee and home baked scones, the Sheriff's Department for providing traffic control, the Department of Highways in Leetown for supplies and collection the refuse and the REAP program whose Adopt-a-Highway program provided guidance and materials.
The list could go on and on but one group was very important to giving the 'padders a boost in the midst of a sometimes thankless chore. That group is you, the public, who waved and honked and yelled encouragement even as you were slowed somewhat by the picker-uppers' progress. BRILLO will beposting news and upcoming events(It's not all work, we'll beattending S&B's upcoming 5th annual picnic soon) in its forum on Shannondale.org and our website at Shannondale.org/brillo will have a more detailed account of our adventures soon.
The Spring Pickup over, the following was submitted and printed by the Spirit Of Jefferson Newspaper:
BRILLO Braves Blustery Breezes to Bag Bottles and Beer Cans
On successive Saturdays the Blue Ridge Litter Look Out(BRILLO) 'padders collected litter on 4 miles of Mission Road and about 10 miles of byways in neighboring communities. Sadly, litter is the gift that keeps on giving, or we should say that our neighborhoods can rely on irresponsible litterers to keep on providing plenty of trash to pick up. The effort this spring was an ambitious one and more BRILLOpadders than ever were on hand to help.
The total of over 50 volunteers resulted in about 75 orange vested, grabber wielding, picker-uppers over the two days. Yes, some of our dedicated members were present on both days! One hundred and ninety three(193) bags, a dozen tires(some with rims), a pink sexual appliance, bags of used and NEW syringes, a commode, a cell and cordless phone, enough car parts to build a VW Bug, a bag of dead fish(holy mackerel) and other items of interest too numerous to mention were generously donated by the litterbugs.
One important characteristic about the litter was that nearly eighty(80)% was comprised of cans and bottles. Special interests, primarily distributors and retailers, have time and again successfully lobbied against a bottle bill which would place a deposit on such containers. The amount of aluminum and glass being sent to the landfill to be buried (where it will last nearly forever) was staggering for just a few of West Virginia's roadways. What must it be Statewide?
BRILLO's triumph over trash validated the organization's decision to officially adopt four(4) miles of Mission Road(that's eight(8) miles of roadside!). In addition BRILLO will be helping to organize and conduct "mini-pick-ups" in communities upon request. These would be small groups of volunteers using the pick-up effort as a means of meeting new people to further Shannondale and Beyond(S&B)'s effort to bring a sense of community to the Blue Ridge Mountain. They will be "talking trash", arrrgh, did we really say that?
The 'padders of BRILLO would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to all who made the Spring cleaning such a huge success. These include, of course, our selfless volunteers, user Pickle who arranged for donation of the banner, users Black Dog and Jenniffer who provided coffee and home baked scones, the Sheriff's Department for providing traffic control, the Department of Highways in Leetown for supplies and collection the refuse and the REAP program whose Adopt-a-Highway program provided guidance and materials.
The list could go on and on but one group was very important to giving the 'padders a boost in the midst of a sometimes thankless chore. That group is you, the public, who waved and honked and yelled encouragement even as you were slowed somewhat by the picker-uppers' progress. BRILLO will be posting news and upcoming events(It's not all work, we'll be attending S&B's upcoming 5th annual picnic soon) in its forum on Shannondale.org and our website at Shannondale.org/brillo will have a more detailed account of our adventures soon.
The key to winning the litter control battle hinges on several factors. Enforcement, incentive (e.g. The Bottle Bill) and behavioral change. As the grunts in the battle we have direct control in the latter course of action. All we can do about the former two is pester our legislators. Getting youngsters involved is one of our top priorities. To that end, we've started sponsoring a litter poster/essay contest for the local elementary school(Home Schoolers will be included next year). The photo below shows the school on awards day where our representatives honored the winners.
BRILLO tried to tailor the competition to age groups. The submissions were precious and presented difficult choices. The winners were cute as buttons and also had some interesting views about litter. If only we can get the young ones to realize the nastiness of litter, perhaps the practice won't be passed from generation to generation. One of the saddest finds along the road are the Kids Meals from Fast Food eateries. When the children learn young that it is acceptable to trash the roadsides, it becomes a difficult practice to deter.
Tina, Randy, Wormie, Stan and Cissey met to judge the entries. The entries from both the younger students as well as the older competitors were well done making it a difficult task to choose the winners. The judges really enjoyed their work and found it very interesting how our youth, especially the younger students, view litter. Several of our padders had the opportunity to attend the awards ceremony at the BRE to see the winners presented with their award letters and monetary prizes.
Essay Winners
Poster Winners
And as the changing of the leaves begin and Summer is winding down, it's time for another planning session for the 'padders.
Due to some unforeseen circumstances, BRILLO will not use a banner for the Fall pickup. However, two new billboards will be erected to advertise the cleanup effort. The signs did get a little attention till they were righted.
The success of the Spring chore was a determining factor in allotting just one day to litter control this time 'round.
Although a thankless job, it's hard not to get a little chuckle at some of the items found along the side of the road. If we had our druthers, the judge would sentence litterers to take a seat on the throne with their names printed prominently on a placard.
There is BIG NEWS though! BRILLO has determined to lay it all on the line(betting jargon is used a lot in Jefferson County)and adopt 4 miles of Mission Road. This will obligate the crew to 3 collections a year but we get official signs to demonstrate our devotion to duty.
As usual our friends at the local paper were generous to post a news blurb about our never ending project. Make sure you click on the pic to read the news release without straining your peepers. We've got lots of plans for next year and will have a report soon on doin's in 2009.
A fitting way to come to a conclusion would be with an image of our Adopt-a-Highway sign.
