by Matt Konkle
Managing Editor
Create something. Meditate. Take a nap. Learn something new. Read a book.
These are the type of responses that blink back when you ask Google how to spend an extra four hours in your day.
Well, for the Keep Our Desert Clean annual Volunteer Appreciation and Cleanup event, volunteers decided to go a different direction with a four-hour window.
The non-profit organization recently saw 282 volunteers gather at Arizona’s Tatum OHV area near Phoenix where they spent time yanking out trash from the desert.
In all, they removed 44,960 pounds of trash, including 155 dumped tires — filling four dumpsters and two dump trailers which made this event the largest cleanup in the organization’s history.
“In less than 5 hours we crushed our goal, another epic KODC cleanup in the books,” said Dylan Miller, KODC President. “Hundreds of KODC volunteers worked hard and removed 22.48 tons of illegally dumped trash out of our beautiful Arizona desert. Once again, bringing new life, joy and freedoms to the area, keeping it enjoyable for years to come.
”It is a never-ending battle but with the funding from amazing organizations like Tread Lightly! and Quadratec 50/50, along with all the support from volunteers and our community, anything is possible.”
This Tatum OHV area cleanup event was the 13th of 50 trail and public land restoration events Quadratec will help sponsor in each state by April 2024.
So far, through its supported projects, the 50-for-50 Stewardship Grant has accumulated 4,516 volunteer hours with a total value of $134,672, pulled away 78,155 pounds of trash and improved 452 miles of trail.
Quadratec’s ’50-for-50’ stewardship grant fund helps project managers pay for equipment, fees, volunteer support, food, fuel, signage and other miscellaneous costs.
Quadratec has been a supporting partner of Tread Lightly! for more than 20 years, and a longtime fundraiser for Tread Lightly!’s stewardship programs. The company has also promoted Tread Lightly! and other trail restoration efforts through its Quadratec Cares ‘Energize the Environment’ program.
Clubs and individuals are required to be active, supporting members of Tread Lightly! to be eligible to apply for ’50-for-50’ grant funding. To learn more about the Quadratec ’50-for-50 program, visit Quadratec's 50 for 50 Trails Stewardship Grant Initiative.
Recommended Reading:
Quadratec, Tread Lightly! ’50-For-50’ Public Land Cleanup — Maggie Valley, North Carolina
Quadratec's 50 State, 50 Trail Stewardship Initiative Reaches Halfway Mark
