Volunteers to help remove trash from Poland streams

Five tires and 130 bags of trash were removed from the streams last year.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
POLAND -- For the sixth year, volunteers will gather Saturday to help remove trash from Yellow Creek and Drakes Run streams in Poland Woods.
Volunteers should meet at the College Street parking lot of the woods. Gloves, bags and a snack will be provided for volunteers. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"Last year, we removed 130 garbage bags full," said Jim Swager of the Poland Forest Board.
That event involved 48 volunteers.
"The participation every year increases by a considerable factor, maybe 20 percent," Swager said.
Volunteers should register by Friday by calling Swager at (330)707-0800.
The event is sponsored by the Poland Forest Board, Friends of Poland Forest and Polandcouncil with assistance from Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Mahoning Soil and Water Conservation District, Mill Creek MetroParks, Mahoning County Green Team and the Alliance for Watershed and Riparian Easements.
"We have good participation from the Poland schools," Swager said. "The Poland football team came last year."
Removed
The 2005 cleanup saw five tires removed from the streams.
"Trash is a problem in all watersheds," he said. "It causes pollution and it's not good for wildlife or fish."
Poland Woods is a natural area, Swager added.
"We want to keep it as pristine as possible," he said.
Besides the trash removal, volunteers also will be asked to remove garlic mustard weeds from the woods. On May 6, starting at 9 a.m. volunteers will gather to target the weeds.
"It's a very invasive species for the blue bell area," Swager said. "It's very tenacious and it will take over unless we deal with it."
Blue bells usually bloom for two weeks in early May, but this spring saw early blooms. The flowers blossom throughout the 250-acre woods but are concentrated along Blue Bell Trail.