Pine Nut cleanup a success

People ranging from children as young as 7 to seniors showed up a week and a half ago on Saturday morning to help clean up our Pine Nut Mountains. The group included a couple who came from Jackson, Calif., who love to come here once a month to ride their quads.

Gerry Hutchison, a member of the Pine Nut Mountain Trail Association, was out setting up two E-Z Ups and coolers full of bottled water and sodas for the volunteers at 6:30 Saturday morning. There was even a corndog barbecue in the afternoon. Thanks guys, they were delicious.

Phil Williamson, a Johnson Lane resident, came with his backhoe and believe me, he made the rest of our jobs so much easier with that large bucket in front that opened up and grabbed piles of trash. It was quite a sight when Phil hooked his backhoe to a 28-foot travel trailer in a canyon and pulled it out to the road to be dismantled. Well, the thing fell apart in lots of pieces as it was being hauled up to the road. That made it much easier to take apart for the strong men who wielded pulaskis and axes. Even a torch was brought in to cut the frame in pieces to make it easier to fit in the two extra large containers Douglas Disposal was kind enough to "donate to the cause." Several vehicles were hauled away with lots and lots of trash, including quite a number of washing machines, doors, and even a microwave.

Now, why is it so many people just dump their junk out here in this beautiful area? I just asked myself the same question while I was driving down our part of East Valley Road yesterday. Lots and lots of water bottles, some beer bottles, and other trash are in the ditch. Guess I know what I'll be doing on my next free day.

Thanks you to Kirk Streeter, code enforcement officer for Douglas County, and Douglas Disposal who took care of the dropping off of the two extra large containers way out Sunrise Pass Road and the hauling off of all the collected trash. Did you know our trash is transferred to Lockwood, east of Reno? Wow, no wonder trash prices are going up with the gas prices.

Thank you so much to all of the wonderful people who showed up to clean up our neighborhood mountains. Look for the next cleanup date in the paper and come help us out. It's your area to enjoy too, you know.

-- Lisa Welch is a Johnson Lane resident and can be reached at 267-9350.