Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Cleanup Volunteers Needed For Saturday

Many ‘hands’ are needed as volunteers to come together to ‘lend a hand’ for the Table Mesa Road National Public Lands Day (NPLD) Cleanup Event on Oct. 20th, from 8 am - 12:30 pm. Led by the Good Gun Foundation, organizations, businesses & agencies, including the Arizona Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition, Arizona Virtual Jeep Club, Black Canyon Trail Coalition, Desert Wolf Tours & the City of Phoenix are donating labor, equipment & supplies to assist the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in efforts to rehabilitate the upper Sonoran desert landscape.


Public & state lands in the Table Mesa area, southwest of Black Canyon City, receive heavy public use & are riddled with trash & debris. This has also resulted in damaged protected native plants, such as saguaro cactus, & often poses safety hazards, especially to those hiking on the Black Canyon Trail. A strategy is in the works to help reduce these impacts but until such time, volunteers are critical to make these on-going efforts a success.

All volunteers will be entered in a drawing for prizes donated by the organizations & in addition lunches, t-shirts & giveaways will also be provided. Safety training, trash bags & tools will be supplied as well.


Interested volunteers can sign up by contacting the BLM at (623) 580-5500, or the Good Gun Foundation at (928) 925-6068. Registration is also available on-line at goodgun.org or at the event between 7 - 8 am. Pre-registration is requested but not required.


Volunteers are asked to arrive at the project site before 8 am. Table Mesa Road, a county maintained dirt road, is easily accessible from I-17. Take exit 236, turn heading west & follow signs. All participants are reminded to wear appropriate clothing, such as long-sleeve shirts & pants, & closed-toe shoes. In addition, bring plenty of water, gloves, sunscreen & a hat.

Call 1-800-637-9152 to report resource crimes on Public Lands, such as; Trespass, Resource Destruction, Archaeological Looting, Site Damage or Littering, & Historic Places Vandalism.