April 15, 2005
Litter/Weed Pickup Day
Well, after three cancellations and two time changes, AZ Master Naturalists finally got out and did the cleanup day deed Thursday, 14 April, on their adopted stretch of I-40.
We had beautiful weather for it. Master Naturalist Perry Crampton provided the safety brief in his role as our liaison with ADOT. Our targets, in addition to collecting the huge amount of debris, were thistles and knapweed rosettes. Fortunately, we saw few of these. It was too early to see russian thistle, and we were not equipped to deal with the emerging toadflax fronds, although some volunteers wrenched them out from habit.
Out in the median, in a ponderosa grove, we had a chance to conduct a short lesson in taphonomy,(the science of post-mortem bone transition) using a sun-bleached deer skeleton.
We had about a 30% participation rate, about a dozen MN's, probably a good turnout, considering the many reschedules, the midweek event, and choosing the day that many folks do their taxes or worry about it.
Afterward, we had a very convivial gathering at the home of Master Naturalists Perry and Terra Crampton, enjoying hors d'oeuvres and cold drinks.
Master Naturalists are committed to cleanup of this section twice a year, so another event will be scheduled for summer or fall.
If you feel this is an activity that suits you, and you regret missing out, you can get credit for volunteer hours by joining up with Tri-Beta, the NAU honorary biology fraternity (co-ed) on Friday, 29 April. They will meet at the Biology Dept parking lot at 1:30pm, or 2pm at the Mobil station on Continental (exit #201). They plan to work their way west halfway toward the Butler Ave exit (exit #199). They can always use more folks to make it easier, just like us. This is a great group that you would enjoy meeting.
Posted by The Naturalist at April 15, 2005 9:35 PM