Enjoy a greener, cleaner MetroParks, thanks to today's work of Valley Scouts

YOUNGSTOWN

The combination of early spring and hundreds of dedicated Boy and Girl Scouts has ensured that bike riders, hikers and other visitors will be treated to a greener and cleaner Mill Creek MetroParks.

“I like cleaning up because it makes the park look good,” said 12-year-old Les Grimes, a member of Boardman-based Boy Scout Troop 54, as he scouted around for trash and debris.

Les and his fellow troop members spent several hours this morning using grabbers, small rakes and other tools to remove and place in trash or recycling bags the usual array of litter and other remnants of winter as they walked along trails that abut Pioneer Pavilion on the South Side.

They also were among an estimated 450 Boy, Girl and Cub Scout members and venturing crews who spread across and beautified many parts of the park during Saturday’s 34th annual Boy Scout Earth Day cleanup.

Areas covered during the three-hour effort included Lake Newport and the surrounding wetlands, Lakes Cohasset and Glacier, the Scholl Recreation Area, Hitchcock Woods, the Slippery Rock Pavilion and Lower Bear’s Den.

The cleanup also was in conjunction with Friday’s Earth Day, which began April 22, 1970, and is credited with spearheading the modern environmental movement.

Read more about the event and what they found in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.