|
|
Manchester State Forest - Great American Clean Up
| Name | Amanda McNulty | | Situation | Manchester State Forest includes 25,000 acres in Sumter and Clarendon Counties. During most of 2003-04, only two of the four law enforcement forestry positions were filled. Manchester provides land for two county convenience centers (receives household garbage and recyclables) and citizens habitually dump in the forest when centers are closed. In 2003, budget cutbacks required centers to close two days per week. As a result, illegal dump sites have proliferated in the State Forest, which does not have the manpower to address this amount of litter, nor funds to pay required tipping fees. | | Response | Palmetto Pride and Keep South Carolina Beautiful have cooperative agreements with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Forestry Commission to address littering on public lands. The Sumter County Extension horticulture agent serves as the director of Keep America Beautiful for Sumter County, and was asked to coordinate local agencies and volunteers for a clean up in the State Forest as part of the Great American Clean Up. Sumter County Department of Public Works agreed to transport roll-offs to the three sites to receive litter, retrieve them, and waive tipping fees at the landfill. The horticulture agent used her newspaper column, radio spots, and community links to publicize the event. She secured volunteers who were provided with gloves, safety glasses and bags.
| | Impact | Sixty-nine volunteers (many parents with children) and 4 community service assignees participated on a Saturday morning clean-up. County and state forest equipment was used to load white goods. Individuals filled 210 bags with hand-collected litter. 28 tires were pulled from a spillway area. The total weight of collected litter was 10.8 TONS! Tipping fees of $771 were waived. The Forest staff provided an appreciation picnic lunch and Palmetto Pride presented tee-shirts to all. The Forest director has asked that we plan a repeat clean up in the fall. One community service worker spoke to the officer who had previously ticketed him for littering, saying, “Let me know when you do this again. I had a good time.” This volunteer was seen looking at his finished cigarette and then pocketing the butt.
|
Last update10/5/2007
This website is maintained by Tiffany Rodgers.
|
