Arlington creek cleanup helps out community, environment. Here’s how you can volunteer.
Four years ago Angel Carter had a revelation. If she was going to clean up a lot of trash from the Fish Creek area of southeast Arlington and southwest Grand Prairie, she was going to need a lot of friends to help.
From there, the facebook.com/CreekCleanupChallenge was born. Now, the event is in its fourth year and is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 29 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
“I had been filling trash bags and putting them on the trail for months. I realized that I was barely making a dent,” she said. “Then, the thought occurred to me, ‘I just need a few hundred of my closest neighbors, family and friends.’”
Together, they tackled years of accumulated debris and dumped trash along the 8 miles of paved linear trail and Fish Creek. With the help of a few neighbors and organizations, the first cleanup happened.
“Between the Boys and Girls Club on Matlock that Friday, everyone who showed up on the Saturday of the event, and the neighbors who came out on the Sunday following, we had an astonishing 260 folks for the first Fish Creek Cleanup Challenge,” Carter said. “Even with all that, we still couldn’t get it all cleaned up, so I knew there’d be a second annual Fish Creek Cleanup Challenge.”
That second event drew around 350 people. Last year, the third for the event, was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but still saw about 250 volunteers. Carter is expecting the turnout to go back up this year.
Among the many who excitedly await the event is Arlington District 3 Councilwoman Nikkie Hunter, in whose district Fish Creek lies.
“It means the world to this community. I’m looking forward to getting out there and rolling up my sleeves,” she said. “It turned from one person to Lord knows how many this year. We’re blessed to have Angel in our community, along with this event.”
Bags, gloves and lunch are provided for participants, along with TMC (The Mission Continues) blue T-shirts. Gift card prizes will also be given away in various categories.
The event isn’t just helping to clean up the Fish Creek area; each participant is encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to Arlington Charities.
In the first three years of the event, Carter said more than eight and a half tons of debris and trash were removed from the area. There were also some pretty interesting discoveries.
“That doesn’t include the hot tub that had to be cut into pieces to be removed, or the abandoned pickup truck that they had to bring in heavy duty equipment to remove,” she said.
Carter said the idea for cleaning up the area came to her through a chance meeting with a youngster.
“I was on the trail one day when I saw a youth throw a piece of trash over the pedestrian bridge as he crossed over the creek. I told him, ‘That’s not where trash goes,’ and he shrugged and pointed all around as he kept walking,” she recalled. “It was at that moment that I realized that trash begets trash.
“People are more inclined to litter when they see litter already present. Also, litter can be an indication to would-be burglars, robbers and thieves that no one cares about the community. And if no one cares, they’re less likely to defend themselves or even report a crime.”
The day will also serve as a time to honor the legendary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. along with Grand Prairie Police Officer Albert Ramirez Castaneda, Jr. That ceremony will take place before the cleanup begins at 8:30 a.m. for Arlington and 9 a.m. for Grand Prairie.
And, if you can’t make it for the beginning of the event, no worries. Areas are being assigned, and as long as you have your section cleaned by the end, all is fine.
“We’re happy to have you with us for 30 minutes. Don’t want to be with a group of folks? Bring a bag and pick up at your own leisure,” Carter said. “Just leave the bag by the trail for parks and recreation to retrieve before Monday morning for it to count towards our totals.”
Go to cleanupchallenge.info or facebook.com/CreekCleanupChallenge for more information or to register as a volunteer.
