On Saturday, September 25, over 60 volunteers descended on the corner of Malcolm X Avenue and 2nd Street SE for the fourth Community Clean-Up day of 2012.
Rondell Pooler of Washington Parks and People brought 36 students from Catholic University. Other volunteers were affiliated with American University Eco-Sense, the Anacostia Watershed Society, DC Young Professionals Kiwanis Club , and Oxon Hill High School. The Congress Heights Community Association generously provided a pizza lunch.
With the day's haul of over 200 large trash bags filled coming on top of the intense work earlier in the year, the forest along 2nd Street is clean at last. "We discovered the 1980s through its garbage, said Phil, an engineer from Elliot City, Maryland who heard about the event from the DC Metro Hiker group.
Nick Westrbooks, a senior at Howard University, filmed the action and created this brief news segment featured here. "Getting dirty was never so much fun," enthused Bethany, a nurse from Falls Church, Virginia.
The final two Community Clean-Ups days of 2012 are Saturday, October 20 and Saturday, November 17. We'll be meet at the same place- Malcolm X Avenue and 2nd Street SE- at the same time- 9 AM.
We'll be focusing on the large concentrations of trash that remain in the woods along Newcomb, 4th, and LeBaum Streets. Thanks to the hard work of hundreds, the goal of completely cleaning the park north of Malcolm X Avenue- which once seemed impossible- is now within reach. Let's make it a reality.
