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Come and help clean-up...Rain or Shine! |
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Celebrate Earth Day early this year! Our third K9Trailblazers Volunteer Day will be at Turkey Run Park. This is our chance to turn out in impressive numbers to help the environment, help the park and create goodwill for our club and for dog owners in general.(Click here to see highlights from last year!)
K9Trailblazers will take responsibility for cleaning up trash along the Potomac River in Turkey Run Park, and we need every person willing to help—that means you and as many of your family and friends as you can persuade to come. Newcomers are welcome! However, please note that per NPS rules, No children under 12, and children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent. Wear sturdy hiking boots with good ankle support, old clothes and bring work gloves, water and snacks/lunch.
Your well-behaved dog is welcome if you keep it with you, on leash, and scoop after it. However, past experience has been that most active dogs do not enjoy this event very much! It's a whole lot of sitting around while the humans pick up trash, followed by a short hike to where the trash is piled for pick-up, and then more sitting around and another short hike to the growing pile of trash bags. But some dogs will do anything to be with their owners! If your dog is one of those, be sure to bring water, snacks and an extra leash so you can tie him to the tree next to where you are working so you'll have both hands free. Free parking and restrooms, all the trash bags you can fill plus the traditional chocolate and dog biscuits. Need we say more? Directions are listed below. We will meet near the bulletin board in parking lot C-1, the first parking area on the left as you enter the park.
The Potomac Watershed Clean-up is 9am to 12 noon, and if you come and help for the whole morning you will have priority sign-up status for a "reward" hike in June. But if you can’t spend the full morning, we will of course be happy to see you for however long you choose to help!
The more the merrier-- Many hands will lighten this work!
Individuals or groups of buddies will pick up all trash, bag it and haul the bags to Parking Area C-1. There are lots of ways to organize ourselves to do this, and we’ll all be working together to get the job done.
Bring plenty of water and snacks for you and your dog. If you wish to stay for lunch, we can eat together after we finish cleaning up at noon.
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As usual, come prepared for hiking—in this case back and forth with bags of trash. You'll need sturdy hiking boots with good ankle support, old clothes and bring work gloves, a hat, and sufficient water for you and your dog (at least a quart for each of you). The clean-up will take place even if it’s raining, so be prepared for potential inclement weather. If you dress in layers, you will find it easier to adapt to changing conditions as you heat up while working and chill down when resting or where the wind is blowing. The trails are rocky and steep in spots, so good hiking shoes are a must. Bring snacks for you and your dog. Bring lunch if you want to eat together afterward. We found out the hard way: it would be easier to clean the parking areas and roads of cigarette butts with a broom than by picking them up by hand! And if you use a pole with a hook on it you can snatch trash from the river more easily than if you have to crawl down the bank to grab it. You can probably think of other improvements—feel free to be creative! The park will supply latex gloves and trash bags.
Basically the rules are the ones we always have: dogs need to stay on leash and under control, and you need to scoop your dog’s poop. Please use a standard 6’ leash, and if you want both hands free and plan to tie your dog to a tree next to where you are working, bring another leash or a strap long enough to go around the tree so your dog will be able to sit or lie down comfortably. Flexible leads can allow people and dogs to trip or tangle, resulting in rope burns or injuries, so please bring a standard leash.
Also, note that no children under 12 are allowed to participate, and children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent.
We will go unless there is severe or dangerous weather-- You have a choice! If the weather is rotten, you don’t have to volunteer. However, we committed K9Trailblazers to sponsor the clean up in Turkey Run Park as a way of showing our thanks to the National Park Service in general and to Turkey Run in particular for allowing leashed dogs on the trails. So, we hope to see overwhelming support from those of you who are able to come.
From the DC Beltway (I-495):
Exit onto George Washington Parkway, heading south (toward the airport.) Watch for the signs and exit at "Turkey Run Park." Follow the signs to the parking area C-1.
From Columbia and Points North:
Take I-95 south to the DC Beltway and head west (outer loop - toward Silver Spring). From there, follow the directions listed above.
A map is provided below:
Brought to you by MapQuest (Click on map to navigate) |
To register for the hike and to get the details on meeting location and time, or for anything else about this hike or the hiking club in general, please contact Pat Fuhrer or Jeff Bolognese.