By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

Every spring, Mainers revel when the snow finally melts.

With the disappearance of the snow comes a drawback: Trash becomes visible in the ditches along roadways.

Every April — usually on the Saturday closest to Earth Day — community groups in the Lake Region area hold trash cleanups.

BRIDGTON

This Saturday, the Bridgton Earth Day Cleanup is happening. Between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. is when people can pick up trash bags outside the Bridgton Community Center.

“The Earth Day cleanup has been a longtime tradition in Bridgton. Though it hasn’t happened every single year, Loon Echo Land Trust (LELT) has been involved in organizing it many, many times over the last decade,” according to LELT Development & Outreach Manager Maggie Lynn.

“LELT is organizing this year’s event in coordination with the town and the community center. The community center generously allowed us to use the area in front of their building as a place to start and gather,” Lynn said.

It seems like a natural fit for LELT to help organize the cleanup.

“LELT is committed to protecting and celebrating the natural world and supporting the communities we work in with opportunities to enjoy and connect to the outdoors. Not only is picking up trash from our forests and roadways better for wildlife and the environment, but it makes the experience of being outside better for humans, too,” she said.

Again, the spot to grab materials before starting the cleanup is the Bridgton Community Center, which is 15 Depot St. 

“Volunteers can show up anytime between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. to pick up supplies including route maps, trash bags, and gloves if they need them. Folks can bring their own gloves if they prefer, and everyone is encouraged to wear bright colors to ensure they’re safe and visible,” Lynn said.

“After picking a route, volunteers will go to that area and pick up any trash they find. Then they can bring the bags back to the community center for us to haul away, or leave the bags in the designated area for that route and we’ll go and pick them up and bring them to the dump,” she said.

“We’re going to focus on the downtown area, starting on Depot Street and working our way out from there depending on the number of volunteers we have. Some groups, such as the local scout troop, cleanup the same streets every year and so they will take care of those ‘hot spots,’” Lynn said.

For those who are parched or in need of a caffeine fix — there will be coffee and water available.

Lynn encouraged families, groups and individuals to join the cleanup this Saturday.

“Roadside cleanups are a great way to give back to your community, the planet, and meet some of your neighbors while you’re at it. Only through being connected and working together can we ensure that our earth and communities are healthy, resilient and beautiful now and for future generations,” she said. “Participating in acts that help make your community a better place feels good, and hopefully instills a sense of pride in the place we all love and call home.”

• Friends of Rotary and the Bridgton Recycling Team will join members of the Bridgton-Lake Region Rotary Club to do clean-up work along Kansas Road in Bridgton. Interactors, or young Rotarians, from Lake Region High School will be part of the effort. Meet up is at the Bridgton Community Center at 9 a.m. for coffee, supplies and assigned areas for clean-up. Please bring work gloves and wear clothes appropriate for roadside work.  Rotary will supply grippers, safety vests, trash bags and small safety flags for hazardous waste. Everyone is welcome. 

Rotarian and President Elect John Eliassen remarked, “We Rotarians have cleaned Kansas Road in the past. It’s not a major route through town, but residents have appreciated our work.” 

For more information about the project, contact John Eliassen at LakeRegionRotary@gmail.com.  

HARRISON

The 8th Annual Harrison Earth Day Clean-Up is set for this Saturday, April 22 from 10 a.m. to noon. Meet at 10 at Crystal Lake Park to pick up a T-shirt, trash bags and a route. Music by Milltown Roadshow Trio.

The event is hosted by Bearfoot Realty, the Town of Harrison, and AM Enterprises, LLC.

• Try creating a piece of art out of recycled items from 10 a.m. to noon at the Harrison Fire Station Community Room. The pieces will be put on display at the Wilkins House Earth Day Celebration, set to take place at 4 p.m. at the Wilkins House, 15 Plummer Hill Road in Waterford.

For more information, reach out to recreation@harrisonmaine.org

CASCO-NAPLES CLEAN-UP CANCELLED

The folks who have established the annual ritual of taking part in the community cleanup will be going solo this year.

The Casco-Naples Earth Day Organization (CNEDO) announced that the Earth Day trash pickup would not take place.

The announcement was on the nonprofit’s Facebook page.

“Unfortunately, we will not be holding our annual Earth Day cleanup event this year,” the post said.

This is the cleanup in which people drove through Q-Team parking lot to receive trash bags and other supplies before taking to the streets to pick-up litter.

The reason cited was that the CNEDO board members had decided “to take a step back this year,” the post said.

The Facebook post encouraged people to go ahead and spend some time engaging in this Earth Day activity: the trash cleanup.

“We hope people continue to participate in Earth Day on their own this year by cleaning up a section near their house,” it said.

Lastly, the post said that if anyone was interested “in revitalizing the board and helping to run the event in the future,” that person could message through Facebook or send an e-mail to casconaplesearthday@yahoo.com