Using Fall Break for a Good Cause

Some ACTC students used a day of their fall break to clean up the creek on the College Drive Campus.

As an assignment this fall, my Intro to Biology lab students assessed the biological, physical and chemical properties of the Long Fork Creek on campus, said Dr. Logan Mintor. They noticed a large amount of debris that had washed into the stream during the strong storms this summer and decided a cleanup was needed. Some of the students were able to volunteer their time, and the college helped with cleaning supplies.

We removed two pickup truck loads of trash in about three hours, Mintor said. In addition to small items, such as candy wrappers and soda bottles, the group found and removed tires, pipes, lumber, shopping carts, pieces of decks, portions of swimming pools, broken toilets, and even an old footbridge that had been discarded or carried by storms into the creek.

The students were Lisa Sparks, Megan Banks, Anthony Chapman, Amanda Harris, Victoria Wechsler, Emmalynn Edmonds, Catrina Hencye and Douglas Duncil.