HARRISBURG, Pa., July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Volunteers from several local
groups recently removed more than three tons of trash from an illegal
dumpsite on State Route 16 in Buchanan State Forest, Franklin County, under Pa. Gov.
Tom Ridge's Forest Lands Beautification Program.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and its
cleanup partner, PA CleanWays, coordinated the efforts of 19 volunteers who
contributed a total of 71 hours to the effort. The volunteers represented
Cornell Abraxas Youth Center, South Mountain; Probation & Domestics,
McConnellsburg; and Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg.
"Citizens of Pennsylvania deserve to benefit from clean, unlittered
places on which to hike, fish, camp and enjoy nature," DCNR Secretary John C.
Oliver said. "We are very grateful to our volunteers for their hard work and
stewardship of their public lands."
Companies participating in the cleanup effort were: IESI Chambersburg
Hauling, Scotland, hauling service; IESI Blue Ridge Landfill, Scotland,
proper disposal; and Bi-Lo Market, McConnellsburg, sodas and ice for the workers'
lunch.
The final restoration of the landscape will be performed by Hess
Excavating of McConnellsburg. The site will be stabilized with soil, then
seeded and covered with mulch. When the project is complete, foresters will
block access to the old dumping area with large rocks.
The cleanups are part of the Pennsylvania Forest Lands Beautification
Program, a five-year effort to rid Pennsylvania state forests and state
parks of dumps. Signed into law by Gov. Ridge in 1998, the program provides up to
$7.5 million from the state's recycling fund to clean up existing dumps on
state forest and park lands by recycling or properly disposing of material.
More than 200 dumpsites are found on state forest and park lands.
About 35 cleanups are scheduled for this year. To date, more than 90
tons of debris have been removed from state forest and park lands through the
efforts of more than 420 volunteers under the Forest Lands Beautification
Program.
