We adopt a highway

Cigarette butts, beer bottles and cans, candy wrappers, mittens, gloves, a vest, tire chains, chain tighteners, carpeting, blankets, used and unused flares, auto parts, garbage, and two full antifreeze jugs. A pretty good haul.

EPFW has adopted a stretch of Highway 4 just up the hill from Dorrington. In late June, volunteers dressed in hard hats and safety vests scoured the roadside for the first time. Caltrans provided the equipment and training for the clean-up. Bunny Firebaugh and Dete Kraus coordinated it. Eleven crew members split into four teams at locations along the highway. Two hours later, the trash was in the bags and the happy crew assembled in the Dorrington Hotel parking lot to debrief.

To celebrate their success, Forest Watchers retired to the Lube Room next to the hotel for hamburgers, veggie burgers, beer, and iced tea.

Six times a year, EPFW will take to the roadsides to help preserve the beauty of this scenic road through the forests of the Sierra Nevada.

You're invited to join the next pickup on August 22 for a morning of fresh air, good company, and the feeling of accomplishment that comes from helping to protect the environment.

Call EPFW at 209-795-8260 to view the Caltrans instructional video before joining the August 22 pickup.