Burnt Mills Outreach Event
and Cleanup Day - Sept 15, 2007

Report by Bill Howard
The Friends of NW Branch cleanup and outreach event at Burnt Mills was a success. We had at least 8 current members attend, and we staffed the table from 9 to 2:30 to do outreach to anyone who came through the park then. Many people seemed interested, and took our fliers. Also, I put out two of the small "Neighbors at Work" sign boards, with our literature clipped on them, along the path on the west side of the branch. I took a risk and left those signs out until this afternoon, and found them in the best possible state: still there, and nearly all of the fliers taken!

As to the cleanup, the hardest worker award definitely goes to Janet MacNab, who worked steadily all morning in several areas. Glenn and I got a good haul in the afternoon, from the section of the branch just between the dam and the bridge. As the photos that will be on our website soon show, our haul included a very rusty shotgun! (that the Park Police came to pick up), a shovel, a bicycle frame, lots of metal pipes, and the usual assortment of bottles, bags, and other trash.

And, one of the most exciting parts of the event was that it forced us to get two important new outreach supplies--one, a lovely new, large banner (thank you, Janet!), and the other a sturdy canopy/awning that we can use for other events in the future. You can see both in the pictures.

Susan Buckley, Glenn Welch and John Fay, with our haul for the day