PRIDE awards local group for cleaning up Jackson Co. wetland

A team of Boy Scouts, forest rangers and college students will share an award with the Jackson County Fiscal Court for removing a dump from a wetland.
The PRIDE Volunteer of the Month Award was presented today to the Jackson County Fiscal Court, Corbin’s Boy Scout Troop 488, the London Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service, and students and faculty of Eastern Kentucky University’s Department of Biological Sciences.
Twenty-five volunteers from the Boy Scout troop, ranger district and EKU worked together Sept. 11, 2010, to pull trash from the Turkey Foot Road Wetlands Dump. In seven hours, they removed 6,280 pounds of trash, 30 tires and approximately 500 pounds of recyclable metal. The fiscal court assisted with the cleanup and paid for trash disposal.
“It rained and thundered, but the volunteers worked very hard to restore this pond to its natural state,” said Barry Spivey, Jackson County Solid Waste Coordinator, who nominated the volunteers for the PRIDE award. “This will ensure an environmentally sound habitat for the different aquatic species found in this natural wetland. It was used as a dumping area for years.”
“The EKU staff committed to work with the PRIDE Environmental Education Liaison to come to Jackson County to talk to students about wetlands,” Spivey added.
“We can’t thank the fiscal court and these volunteers enough for putting this wetland back the way it belonged,” said PRIDE’s Mark Davis. “Even though the weather was bad, the volunteers stuck with it because they knew how important a clean, healthy wetland is. They showed the true spirit of PRIDE, which is taking personal responsibility for the environment. The fiscal court and Barry Spivey have shown great leadership in caring for this county’s incredible beauty.”
A wetland is an area of shallow water that is full of life. A healthy wetland is home to a wide variety of wildlife — including natural predators of mosquitoes, such as salamander larvae, dragonflies and bats. Wetlands absorb floodwater, filter pollutants, and provide plant and wildlife habitat.
The PRIDE Volunteer of the Month program recognizes hard work and dedication to the PRIDE initiative. With corporate sponsorship from TECO Coal, WYMT-TV, the CBS affiliate in Hazard, airs commercials about each PRIDE Volunteer of the Month.
“Volunteers are the backbone of PRIDE,” said Congressman Hal Rogers, who founded PRIDE in 1997. “We wouldn’t be where we are without our volunteers. More than 320,000 volunteers have helped with PRIDE cleanup and education projects. We want to thank TECO Coal for helping PRIDE give these generous people the recognition they deserve.”
In 38 counties of southern and eastern Kentucky, PRIDE links citizens with the resources of local, state and federal agencies to improve the region’s water quality, clean up solid waste problems, and advance environmental education. The PRIDE web site is www.kypride.org