Earth Day Roadside Clean-Up
Saturday, April 24, 2010
8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

We would like to thank the more than 300 volunteers who participated in Friends of Acadia's 10 th annual Earth Day Roadside Clean-up. The event has become, for many people, an annual rite of spring. Like last year, the weather added much to the enthusiasm of the volunteers, many whom were thrilled to be outside soaking up the sunshine as they picked up trash.

At last count, our volunteers picked up over 650 bags of trash, plus an assortment of other “junk” from over 100 miles of roadside in the MDI, Trenton, and Schoodic areas. The most unusual item was a set of keys with a long wooden key chain labeled “P2”. If anyone is missing these, please contact the Friends of Acadia offices.

Among our many volunteers this year were groups from local organizations and businesses, including Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, Cadillac Mountain Sports, Downeast Dog Scouts, Hannaford Supermarkets, MDI High School Honor Society, MDI Hospital, Tremont Boy Scouts and the U.S. Coast Guard. And kudos to the Pemetic School and Tremont School for having roadside pick-ups of their own. We are also grateful for our generous financial sponsors—Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, The First, Hale and Hamlin and The Knowles Company—as well as Hannaford Supermarkets and the Trenton Market Place, for providing the water and snacks that fueled our volunteers. We would also like to thank the Maine Department of Transportation for providing trash bags and picking up the bagged trash and other junk along the roadsides on Monday.

You, too, can celebrate Earth Day—all year long—by keeping our roadsides trash-free. Please dispose of your garbage appropriately. Recycle and compost whatever you can, and place the remainder in trash cans or dumpsters. Or, you can walk out the front door of your home or business towards the next street or even the next driveway—trash bag in tow—and hold your own pick-up. We all have the power to make a difference in our communities.

Once again, thank you to all who participated in the Earth Day Roadside Clean-up. For those that were not able to participate, I invite you to come out and make a difference next year on April 23, 2011.

Thank you,

Terry Begley

Projects & Events Coordinator

Friends of Acadia