Minisink Park: Part 2 (19-Aug-2016)

The start of the third round of the day. Cleaning up the entirety of this trail would complete the goal Leigh Ann and I had set for the day. We found very quickly that the majority of trash along this trail was older and much of it was items that had come from route 80.

The largest items of the day looked to be packing materials, possibly lost off a truck from 80. The above photos are of one of two of these large items we removed. Now that they are out there is open ground for plants to grow.  

We pulled out two tires as well and found a nifty flute like instrument. 

This stream crossing might just be the coolest aspect of the trail in the park. 

This is everything from the third round. The two bags larger bags were full and extremely heavy. The pack was completely full of recyclables. We deposited the trash in the dumpster, left the tires in a designated place for pickup and loaded up the recyclables. Leigh Ann had another commitment to get to so when we finished up on this round she had to get home. Penny and I then returned to the other section of the park to walk down to the Delaware to work on a problem spot I had found before. 

Walking down the Brodhead to the river I found more items along the bank. This included even more diapers. Some of the stuff I just piled up and put off to the side for the return trip. 

This was my main focus of the fourth round. This debris pile is filled with trash and has been along the river for a long time. As I always do I must give a warning about debris piles. They are not safe to walk on. They often are unstable, contain sharp items, can have wasps nesting in them and it is best just to stay away.

The further across it I traversed the more trash I was finding. It was hot and I was pretty well exhausted by this point in the day, so I was only picking up what was easy for me to reach. 

I worked my way over to this and it was one of the big items I had seen before and really wanted to get out of there. It just wasn't possible on this trip. It is large and would not fit in the available dumpster and I didn't want to just leave it in the park with them hosting an event over the weekend. 

This is what I was able to remove. Was able to get the cooler lid underneath the dock too. 

Returning to the park I picked up the items along the Brodhead I piled up on the way to the river. At the end Penny was howling mad about all the trash that was left in and around this park. She received treats to calm her down and I disposed of the trash. 

This was it for the fourth and final round of the day. The beer case was full of bottles. It was a long day and Leigh Ann and I put in a lot of work. There is always more work to be done, but we did complete our goal for the day and more! This won't be the last trip up to Minisink this year, still have more work to do on the debris pile. 

We did come across some wildlife throughout the day. On the left is an American Bullfrog. On the right a Garter Snake. 

These two Green Herons were along the Brodhead and were most likely the same individuals we spotted last week. 

You too can help with taking out the trash! If you get out hiking take a grocery bag with you, give it a second use and fill it with trash while you are out! Every bit helps. You can also help contributing to this project here: Help Fund Taking Out the Trash

Like this project? Like it on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA