5-18 Ouachitas Cleanup (FR 778 and 211)

[theBROFESSOR]

I wrote to our local Foresty Service and asked them about the areas that needed the most attention. I told them I was with Overland Bound and we had a program called the Trail Guardian where we volunteer our time and services to help keep these areas clean. They were very excited and appreciative. They sent me a map of what needed to be done and we scheduled a day to go out and take care of a few of these Forest Roads.

We decided to do a couple roads around Lake Winona in the Ouachita NF. So we took off and had a great day of it.

We played around a little...after all it is a nice Trail.

But we concentrated our efforts on cleaning up these roads. We had to make a little different ways to haul our trash out since my roof rack is being built right now. But we were able to put the rear carrier on. We stopped at a dumpster and offloaded most of the things we hauled out (including an old DISH satellite dish), and then continued with our efforts. Not sure what my wife did with the pics and video of what we collected at the first, but when we arrived finally at home we took another snapshot of the rest of what we collected (I'll post when we find them). It was a good day . And kudos to my wife for wanting to do this on Mother's Day Weekend. She's a keeper.

BROfessor Out

 

[Road]

Very cool, @theBROFESSOR!

You keep doing wonderful trail clean-up work and are a great example & role model for others.

I think we should make it part of trail clean-ups to suggest groups do a follow up with whichever organization was contacted--in your case the local Forestry Service--and let them know the results of the clean-up. How much and what kind of rubbish was collected, how many folks were involved, along with a few images, too, when possible.

Not to brag, but just facts on the clean-up and that members of OLB and their friends are active in low impact land use and responsible recreation. I think that may help them encourage other organizations to do similar trail clean-ups.

Big respect for your wife, too, for going out on Mother's Day to clean up what others have left behind!


Road


.

 

[theBROFESSOR]

Very cool, @theBROFESSOR!

You keep doing wonderful trail clean-up work and are a great example & role model for others.

I think we should make it part of trail clean-ups to suggest groups do a follow up with whichever organization was contacted--in your case the local Forestry Service--and let them know the results of the clean-up. How much and what kind of rubbish was collected, how many folks were involved, along with a few images, too, when possible.

Not to brag, but just facts on the clean-up and that members of OLB and their friends are active in low impact land use and responsible recreation. I think that may help them encourage other organizations to do similar trail clean-ups.

Big respect for your wife, too, for going out on Mother's Day to clean up what others have left behind!


Road


.

Yes sir. And Thank you. Actually when you are a registered volunteer with the Federal Government, they send you a form to fill out when you complete a task where there are volunteer hours generated. They report this to their superiors and apparently have to keep a log of all volunteer hours throughout their fiscal year. I will be filling that out and sending it to the Winona Ranger District this week.

 

[Road]

Yes sir. And Thank you. Actually when you are a registered volunteer with the Federal Government, they send you a form to fill out when you complete a task where there are volunteer hours generated. They report this to their superiors and apparently have to keep a log of all volunteer hours throughout their fiscal year. I will be filling that out and sending it to the Winona Ranger District this week.

Cool, I guess I didn't realize or forgot the volunteer form for the Federal Govt included how many hours worked. I thought it was more about saying who would be involved. I bet not all other state and local orgs do that, though.

Even if they do, I'd include a personal note with images they can use in their newsletter, pin up on their bulletin board, or to fwd to superiors as well.

I believe the more the public sees organizations like OLB and others doing positive good out there, the more it will become common practice and a normal part of responsible land use.

 

[theBROFESSOR]

Cool, I guess I didn't realize or forgot the volunteer form for the Federal Govt included how many hours worked. I thought it was more about saying who would be involved. I bet not all other state and local orgs do that, though.

Even if they do, I'd include a personal note with images they can use in their newsletter, pin up on their bulletin board, or to fwd to superiors as well.

I believe the more the public sees organizations like OLB and others doing positive good out there, the more it will become common practice and a normal part of responsible land use.

I agree that there really could not be better advertisement out there than us volunteering our time to helping out communities, agencies and the environment.

 

[Michael]

I agree that there really could not be better advertisement out there than us volunteering our time to helping out communities, agencies and the environment.

Thank you! Great work out there!

M

 

[ArkansasDon]

Great job with your time. Wish the public wouldn't mistreat our public lands like they do. We always come out of the wilderness with a large 55gal trash bags full, including our trashroo full. Sally & I are in the planning stages of a 10 day overlanding camping trip early spring 2019 going most of Arkansas National Forest starting @ Ouachita National Forest from Glenwood, AR. We see were 10 days leads us.

 

[uss]

Great work.

 

[cody_roberts]

Great. I hope you guys do another soon , would love to get in in the next one.

 

[Nick1987]

I wrote to our local Foresty Service and asked them about the areas that needed the most attention. I told them I was with Overland Bound and we had a program called the Trail Guardian where we volunteer our time and services to help keep these areas clean. They were very excited and appreciative. They sent me a map of what needed to be done and we scheduled a day to go out and take care of a few of these Forest Roads.

We decided to do a couple roads around Lake Winona in the Ouachita NF. So we took off and had a great day of it.

We played around a little...after all it is a nice Trail.
View attachment 56609
But we concentrated our efforts on cleaning up these roads. We had to make a little different ways to haul our trash out since my roof rack is being built right now. But we were able to put the rear carrier on. We stopped at a dumpster and offloaded most of the things we hauled out (including an old DISH satellite dish), and then continued with our efforts. Not sure what my wife did with the pics and video of what we collected at the first, but when we arrived finally at home we took another snapshot of the rest of what we collected (I'll post when we find them). It was a good day . And kudos to my wife for wanting to do this on Mother's Day Weekend. She's a keeper.
View attachment 56610
BROfessor Out

Let me know if you plan another one, I live on the Albert Pike side of the Ouachita NF. I should have my rig up and running in a few months.

 

[Boostpowered]

Everytime i go to broken bow area trails i pickup any trash i see. Usually at the end of the trails where people camp has the largest concentration of trash. i picked up at least 15lbs of old cans and plastic bottles at the end of forrest road 51900 last weekend and picked up a tick and numerous mosquito bites. I would be interested in helping at a clean up event im up there quite a bit.