Crossroaders keep Sisters road clean

For nearly 15 years, Crossroads residents have been cleaning up Highway 242 between the Sisters Middle School and Cold Springs Campground.

Working under the oldest Adopt-A-Highway permit of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) in Central Oregon, residents have been picking up litter left by summer and winter tourists to the area, but mostly litter tossed out by their own neighbors.

“We know we are our own worst enemy with litter,” said Dorene Fisher, vice chair of the Crossroads Board of Directors. “Each time litter is picked up about 75 percent is found between the middle school and the entrance road to Crossroads, and this is less than half of the three-mile stretch of highway we have to clean up.”

Crossroads’ Adopt-A-Highway (AAH) permit was granted by ODOT on December 18, 1991, shortly after the Oregon program was started, according to Diana Ridenour, AAH coordinator for ODOT’s Central Oregon Region. “That makes it the oldest permit in our region,” she said.

Last week, 14 residents and one houseguest showed up on a cool morning at the request of Crossroads Litter Coordinator Stetson Gifford. Working in teams, they completed the volunteer project in an hour and a half.

“We picked up 13 sacks of litter this time,” Gifford said.

An average of at least three litter pickups a year, a low estimate of 10 sacks a pickup and 15 years of doing the work adds up to at least 450 sacks of litter since 1991, enough to easily fill a large dump truck.

Before litter can be picked up under the AAH program participants receive safety training and they agree to come with boots, gloves and protective clothing (no shorts or T-shirts). They must also wear a safety vest that is provided. Safety signs are posted on each end of the pickup and personnel work one side of the road at a time facing oncoming traffic. ODOT posts signs announcing the organization or family doing the cleanup.

“There are about 140 AAH groups in Central Oregon” Ridenour explained. “They have about 267 miles of adopted roads and that totals 534 miles of highway, counting both sides of the road. However, there are still 460 miles of unadopted roads in Central Oregon, plus similar programs available for county and city roads.”

At least one stretch of Highway 126 between Sisters and Redmond is still open for “adoption,” she added. Ridenour can be contacted at 388-6169 while Deschutes County information is available at 388-6581.

Ridenour plans a 15th anniversary celebration later this year for participating groups and families.

Three Crossroads families picked up litter on the same miles of the McKenzie Highway for five years before Oregon adopted their program patterned after one started in Ohio.

“That was why we were ready and eager to join the AAH program once it was announced,” Fisher explained.

Over the years Crossroads residents have had an “unofficial” contest for the most unusual litter picked up. Winning pieces of litter have included a toilet seat, a bowling pin, a cell phone returned to its owner, a student’s love letter, and a $10 bill. However, most litter comes from beer bottles and cans, soft drink paper cups, scrap paper, and unfortunately cigarette butts. Last week’s “winner” was a television monitor, Gifford said.