Earth Day ’23

every year since Bridget was three,” Ruth said. “This morning, they said it was their favorite holiday. I think they are forgetting about Christmas.”

“Or Halloween,” Anthony added.

Suddenly, there was a shout of delight as Bonnie discovered a piece of black plastic that was half buried in the soil. The girls stood next to the tiny river of water running downhill, and they pulled, pulled, pulled until the plastic broke free.

All around the Lake Region, people like this family were making the commitment to clean up trash on Earth Day.

On Saturday morning, a steady stream of people showed up at the tables in front of the Bridgton Community Center, where both Loon Echo Land Trust (LELT) provided supplies for the annual cleanup. Also, the Bridgton Rotary Club had a table set up and about 10 members volunteered their time.

Throughout the morning, more than two-dozen people arrived at LELT’s table to grab garbage bags and other materials and get a map of where to go.

The folks who showed up fell into various categories. There were families with children who consider trash cleanup to be a fun activity. There were individuals, mostly women, who had moved to Bridgton recently. The women said they were looking for something to do and a way to feel involved in the community.

The owner of a Depot Street arrived with a friend and an already half-full bag of trash. Some people picked up supplies and drove back to their own neighborhood to do the cleanup.

“People really enjoyed doing something to give back to their community and celebrate Earth Day. A couple of people said they usually go out on their own, but wanted to join the broader community effort. A few folks were newer to town and appreciated the opportunity to meet new people, get to know the town a bit better, and to give back,” according to LELT Development and Outreach Manager Maggie Lynn.

Becca Jewett and her husband Scott Hendricks brought son Parker and his cousin Oliver Blair. Both boys are 8 years old. She talked about the family’s approach to gathering garbage.

“We started at the easy spot under the spiral staircase. But, then we went up onto the bridge and kind of scouted out from there to get a great vantage point from the bridge,” Jewett said. “Because the water was so low, we were able to traverse upriver to the corner, where you can’t get to during any other times because there is so much Japanese Knotweed. We got a ton of trash — broken glass, a tire, tarp material, a tiki torch.”

“This Earth Day, we had a cousin sleepover so it offered us something really fun to do this morning, to get up and get out of the house. We try to come out here every Earth Day. We try to pick up the trash whenever we see it anyway. This is nice because there is a nice centralized, collection location.”

After eating a free breakfast supplied by the Bridgton Community Center, the family planned on

“We are going to walk through Pondicherry Park on the all access trail, which is so amazing. We are going up to LEA Science Center and do the obstacle course that is up there. That will be the rest of our day,” she said, adding, “We have some boys that have some energy.”

As the morning hours ticked away, the pile of trash bags grew larger.

One person offered to take away some of the bags because she was making the trip to the Bridgton Transfer Station.

One man, who was affiliated with the Bridgton Lions Club, apologized to Lynn that his trash bag was not very full. He had spent more than two hours picking up every cigarette butt that he could find around

80 BAGS OF TRASH COLLECTED — A work crew consisting of people from Main Eco Homes, the Town of Bridgton, the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary, Loon Echo Land Trust, and Chalmer’s Insurance took part in a clean-up drive Friday in Bridgton. Pictured left to right are some of the crew: Tony Parent, Steve Whitney, Mike Ridlon, Rob Dumont, Camryn Carels, Justin McIver, Ed Wolfe, Heather Swain, Emma Adams, Ben Adams, Josh Carnello, Chris Colello, Mike Harmon, Geoff Eldridge, Lisa LaFlamme, Isaac Day and Phil Burgess. Pictured at right are MEH owner Justin McIver (left) along with Mike Harmon, Ed Akers and Geoff Eldridge.

Depot Street and the community park.

One woman quipped, “It’s a good thing Earth Day comes before the black flies start biting.”

In the end, the back of a pickup truck was filled with trash bags that were disposed of at the transfer site, according to Lynn

“Roadside cleanups are a great way to give back to your community, the planet, and meet some of your neighbors while you’re at it. Only through being connected and working together can we ensure that our earth and communities are healthy, resilient and beautiful now and for future generations.”

“It was wonderful to witness our community coming together to clean up the town. Local action is a great way to celebrate Earth Day,” Lynn said.