Since 1970, Americans have celebrated Earth Day.
Its premise is simple: “fight for environmental causes and oppose environmental degradation,” as concluded in a story published in the Library of Congress.
At that time, in 1970, people were challenged to approach the cause “with the same energy that they displayed in opposing the Vietnam War,” that story said.
The most recent holiday on Tuesday, April 22, marked 55 years of Earth Day, and community members in Montezuma County gathered with gumption to clean the beautiful place they call home.
“We encouraged folks to clean up the open spaces,” said Asialynn Hager, the events and marketing specialist for Cortez Parks and Recreation. “We’re trying to build responsible visitation in the parks … a clean your parks day.”
Citywide in Cortez, there was a volunteer cleanup in the parks, the first of its kind here, on Earth Day.
Hager said that 20 or so people went to the Recreation Center to gear up with jersey gloves and trash bags; if it’s deemed successful by the parks committee at its monthly meeting, she said the cleanup could become an annual event.
“A few organizations even latched onto it,” said Hager.
The Children’s Kiva Montessori School cleaned Centennial Park, a place its students frequent for recess and gym class, too. Friends of the Carpenter, a local woodworking volunteer group, cleaned up Carpenter Trail. Suburban Propane, a nationwide company with a location in Cortez, cleaned up Denny Lake Park.
“It sure beats being in the office,” a Suburban Propane worker said with a laugh.
They said they were pleased at how little garbage they found at Denny Lake, though they were able to pick up some forgotten fishing lines, things like that.
“The trash was way worse by the highway,” a Suburban Propane worker said, nodding at U.S. Highway 160.
Students at Battle Rock School down the canyon off scenic Road G reported the same phenomenon: more trash along the roadside.
“There was a ton of trash down the steeper part of the road,” said Noela Maloney, a student at Battle Rock.
To retrieve one bottle, a group of students formed a human chain, interlocking their hands, one linked into the other, to lower a classmate far enough to grab it.
After all, “there’s a competition about it among classes,” a Battle Rock student named Ollie Martin explained.
This year, one class collected 308 pounds of trash, and another got 194 pounds.
But it wasn’t all trash they found.
“I found a pair of sunglasses,” said Martin.
One of Maloney’s friends “found a lucky coin.”
The students said they felt “sad” and “confused” at the sight of all the trash they saw.
Abbie Herring, a support staff member at Battle Rock, said the school always does a big cleanup on Earth Day. Throughout the year, they do several smaller scale campus cleanups.
“The canyon community is intentional about taking care of this area. We make sure it’s cared for,” Herring said. “The canyon tries to take care of itself.”
This year, Battle Rock was the meeting place for a cleanup that Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance put together, in partnership with Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Battle Rock School and Osprey Packs to all meet and clean the canyon.
