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2nd Annual Lovin' Livingston Trail Cleanup Day

Cleanup Day Organizers and Sponsors
On October 14th, 2000, over 100 people participated in an organized cleanup of the Cromer's Ridge area near Livingston Kentucky. Two dumpsters 30 cubic yards in size were filled with over 500 bags of trash along with many large items removed from the landscape. Lee Crafton acted as the local coordinator and Tim Rettig worked to publicize the event. Volunteers from the Ohio River Four Wheelers and TKO Trailriders assisted with the cleanup work, along with many individuals driving Jeeps, pickups, ATVs, motorcycles and rail-buggies. A local Boy Scout Troop also assisted with the cleanup work. The event was co-sponsored by BAR Offroad of Cincinnati and Bell's Suzuki of Lexington. Donations and assistance were received from Waste Management Inc. of Laurel County, the Laurel County Division of Solid Waste, and Trailblazers of Lexington. Special thanks goes out to Bill Enfinger from Enfinger Landscaping in Cincinnati, OH. Bill trailered his bobcat from Cincinnati to assist with the cleanup, and was able to remove many large items from the area that would have been difficult to remove by hand.

Cleanup Report

A canopy was setup in the Shell parking lot for volunteers to report to, and to distribute trash bags and drinks. The first volunteers started to arrive at about 8:30am. They helped setup the canopy and talk to other volunteers about what areas needed to be cleaned up.


The first group of volunteers to head out at 9:00am was a local Boy Scout Troop. They headed toward the river with 50 trash bags and two Jeeps pulling trailers. They returned at noon with all the trash bags used, and all the trailers full.

The bulk of the volunteers headed out between 9:00 and 10:00, leaving in small groups, usually with at least one vehicle pulling a trailer. The bulk of the small trash was around the camping areas, so groups would spread out around those areas and fill their trash bags, and put them on the trailers. Once the trailers were full, they would run back down to the Shell parking lot to deposit the trash in the dumpster, get some drinks and more trash bags, and then return to the area to continue the cleanup.




One of those groups stumbled upon a hillside that someone had used to dispose of some appliances and building materials.


This dump had been there for a long time. This assumption was based on the fact that all of the appliances were rusted, and some had trees growing in and around them. Using a winch, all of the refrigerators, freezers, and hot water heaters were pulled from the hill. Then many of the groups combined forces to remove the remaining garbage.


When it was all done, the 15 people who worked on this hill removed over 6 trailers full of trash. Even though it was obvious that none of this trash was deposited by anyone using the area for recreation, these volunteers were happy to do the work.


Meanwhile, several members of Ohio River Fourwheelers, along with Bill Enfinger and his bobcat, found an abondoned vehicle. Using the bobcat, they removed the pieces of the vehicle, placing them in the dump truck provided by the County. Also, they found tires and some other large items that the bobcat was able to easily remove.

After the hill and abondoned vehicle had been taken care of, a rider on an ATV reported that he found a tire too large for him to pull out of the woods. Volunteeers from ORFW and TKO Trailriders followed the ATV rider to the hill where he found the tire. Over the hill was a tire from an earth-mover that was as large as a Jeep.

Using a combination of winches, snatch blocks and tow straps, they spent almost an hour pulling this large tire from the hill side. After they had the tire off of the hill, they put it behind a Jeep and towed it down to the Shell station where Bill Enfinger again put his bobcat to work lifting the tire into the dumpster.

In addition to the clubs and volunteers mentioned above, many people who were out for a day of riding donated their time and efforts to the cause. Many volunteers spoke with users of the Livingston area and explained to them the reasons for the cleanup and how they could help. Volunteers would give the users of the area trash bags, and ask them to do their part by filling up at least two bags of trash, and setting them by the roadside for pickup.




From the above picture, you can see the depth and length of the dumpsters. To think that this group of volunteers filled two dumpsters this size in one day is extraordinary. It is also a sad reminder to the level of trash in the Livingston area.

It is important to note that much of the trash that was removed from this area was not generated by OHV enthusiasts, but instead illegally dumped by nearby individuals and business owners, and possibly some of the land owners themselves. Here is just a sampling of the items removed from the area:



Refrigerators
Freezers
Water heaters
55 gallon drums
Tractor-trailer tires
Skidder tires
Abondoned vehicles
5 gallon buckets
Fiberglass insulation
Mattresses
Construction debris
Fencing


All of the clubs and volunteers involved in this effort would like to challenge other clubs around the country to duplicate this feat. If all of the clubs in the nation would organize efforts such as this, a huge impact would be made on all of the Land Organizations throughout the country. With results like this, it would be hard for anyone not to take notice.

A raffle was held at the end of the day for all the volunteers, and many great prizes were won.




Participating Businesses, Clubs, and Organizations

BAR Offroad of Cincinnati
Event advertisement
Canopy
Gloves for volunteers
Trash bags
Drinks
Hand tools for volunteers
Raffle items
Bell's Suzuki of Lexington
Drinks
Gas for bobcat
ATV
Raffle items
Boy Scout Troop
10 Volunteers
Enfinger Landscaping of Cincinnati
Bobcat!!!!!!!
Laurel County Division of Solid Waste
Dumptrucks
Trashbags
Hazardous Waste Removal
Ohio River Fourwheelers
15 Volunteers
Shell Gas Station
Parking lot usage
TKO Trailriders
15 Volunteers
Raffle items
Trailblazers of Lexington
Raffle items
Waste Management Inc. of Laurel County
Dumpsters
Waste Removal
WKYT TV Channel 27 Lexington
News Coverage
Transport Honda, Haydens Outdoor Sports, IOK Fourwheelers, Miami Valley Trailriders, 49'er Fuel Stop
Misc. Contributions, Assistance & Volunteers


Without the help of the above, nothing would have been accomplished. This event was a great example of what can be accomplished when people work together as a team.
Thank you all so much!
* We are sorry if your club or business was not mentioned. Please e-mail tim@sharetrails.org so that your contribution can be noted.

See you next year!


Date:10/16/2000
Author:Tim Rettig
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