Old County Road Keeps Trash Dogs Busy

L-R: Mark Stevens, Alan Middleton, Harve Timeus, Karen Warwick, Els Stolk, James Fournier, Bill Hauer, Shaaron Hauer, Jeff Ayres, Bobbie Gross, Ray Sundblad, Dell Hodges, John Thompson, Jerry Sweeney, and Paul Davis. Not pictured: Charlie Blozinski, Brian Blozinski, Destiny Schwartz,and Ed Gross.

Pickup Event # 89 and three more large trailer loads of trash were removed from Old County Road on Saturday, February 4th. It was a big day for the Trash Dog Volunteers. Now, after ten large loads of trash, garbage and appliances removed the Dogs ask if there is an end to the mess hidden away alongside the Old County Road? We believe we’re close to completion. However trash along forest roads waits for our volunteers.

In retrospect it seems that we accept our fellow residents malevolent littering habits. After five years of volunteer work, 89 trash pickup events, some 35 vehicles and motor homes salvaged and many no-litter signs posted the Dogs are wondering if roadside trash dumping is just a fact of life here on the Wild Rivers Coast.

Trash Dogs at Work

Yes we complain and sometimes lament, “isn’t it just awful that folks dump garbage along side our forest, county and state roads,” but dumping continues on the same old sites after five years. Maybe the city fathers and county commissioners should arch their collective backs and proclaim

“we’ve had it. Enough. No more.” Several community leaders have told us what a fine job the Trash Dogs are doing. Many benevolent citizens have contributed generously to help pay our disposal and recycle fees. However nothing has happened to correct or change the prevailing attitude of acceptance.

Scooby

We hear that trash disposal fees are too high in Curry County and thus cannot be afforded by residents. Some even tell us that high disposal fees are the reason that many folks dump their waste alongside county, state and forest roads. That’s an interesting excuse but we don’t believe it. Check with other cities and counties and you will find trash dump fees are well within the range of ours here in Curry County. Perhaps a little higher. Perhaps a little lower.

Maybe the disposal fees are paid through taxes or other methods but the bottom line is we are no different than other locations. So, to all the complainers and nay-sayers, the Trash Dogs say we need to “get a life and enter the 21st century.” This is our society and one that generates a lot of waste. As caring citizens of Curry County we all need to responsibly dispose of our trash to keep the Wild Rivers Coast clean and beautiful.

Trash Dog Vigilantes

Rogue River Road and U.S. 101

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Finding and collecting trash along U.S. 101 is new to the Dogs but we do it all…… At the new and little used scale site north of Brookings the Dogs rooted out an old camp-site that had bedding, bags, and lots of assorted garbage…..But with at 17 Dogs, shovels, garbage bags and a wheel barrow a good-sized load of trash was hauled out to 101 and loaded on the trailers. Then it was on to miles 3-5 of the Jerry’s Flat Road or Agness Road (South Bank Rogue River Road) east of Gold Beach. At Jim Hunt Creek we found a real bonanza of newly dumped garbage…at the scale site and all the way to the shores of the Rogue. Long lining the trash up to the road and onto the trailers took an hour. Then it was to mile 3 where the Dogs hit a real mother lode, bonanza of tires, large and small, couches, bags of garbage, car parts, clothes, and just about any old household stuff you could dream up. The Dogs had planned to visit another site but with two large trailers loaded and heaped with trash and 16 tires all held on with tie-down ropes, the Dogs had enough work for one day. So it was on to the Biscuit House for a break and CTR at Ridge Creek where Gene was delighted to see us arrive…….Dogs Harve, Ray, JohnT, JohnW, Ed, Bobbie, Shaaron, BillH, BillV, Paul, Del, Alan, Ron, JerryS, James, Gerhard, and Paul made this Event 88 a special pickup….no injuries and fantastic German chocolate covered cookies made by Gerhard our newest Trash Dog from Germany.

Trash Dog Vigilante

Old County Road, Brookings

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Deja Vu All Over Again

Once again the Dogs broke their month-old record amount of trash. Hard working Dogs making this a good day were Els, Bobbie, Shaaron, Harve, John T, John W, Paul, Ray, Del, Brian, Bill, Ed, and Alan. It was “deja vu all over again” for the second pickup event on Old County Road as the Dogs sprang into action filling three trailers before 2 pm. And right on schedule the Cookie Lady delivered two recipes of gourmet cookies; oatmeal chocolate chips and almond delights Along the urban but relatively isolated Old County Road the Dogs have now removed 6 trailer loads of trash, bagged and loose garbage, refrigerators, freezers, televisions, barbeque grills, household furnishings, lazy boys, auto batteries, toys, water heaters, tires, 4×4 axles, brake drums, hide-a-beds, carpeting, and garden and yard trash. One trailer alone was completely filled with steel and aluminum and was delivered to King Street Recycling. The other two two trailer loads were delivered to CTR. In addition the Dogs found several refrigerators, two v-8 engines, couches and televisions that will have to wait for another day and deja vu all over again on a future event.

Call us at 541-469-4980 or 541-469-4334 if you find illegally dumped trash along our roads and in our forests.

Trash Dog Vigilantes Pickup

Wednesday November 9, 2011

Old County Road, Brookings

Alan, Bill H, Shaaron, James, Els, Bill V, Del, Ed, Ron, John, Bobbie, Clint, Jerry and Harve were today’s Loyal Trash Dog volunteers and once again they broke our month old record amount of trash. It doesn’t seem possible to pick up so much trash but on Wednesday the Trash Dogs sprung into action filling three trailers and one pickup truck along Old County Road and private forestry roads right in the Brookings metro area. And right on schedule the Cookie Lady delivered two recipes of cookies, Sierra Nuggets and O’Henry Bars……and were they ever yummy…..

James and Ron with carpet	Bill, Del, Clint, Ron and James with Refrigerator
Bill Hauer in the big dump site	Bill, Del, Clint, Ron and James with Refrigerator

Along these urban but relatively isolated county and private forestry roads the Dogs found a trove of bagged and un-bagged garbage, appliances, household furnishings, auto batteries, kids toys, and garden and yard trash. Along with more than 100 yards old carpet, several televisions and computer monitors they recovered a large refrigerator that needed to be pulled 75 feet up a steep slope. A large 3′ x 4′ mirror was salvaged, luckily without breaking it. One trailer alone was filled with enough steel and aluminum roofing to make a drop off at the special metal recycle bin. In addition to the trash hauled out today, the Dogs found several more refrigerators, couches and televisions that will have to wait for another day. The pictures show there is an abundance of trash along our forest roads.

Trash Dogs John, Bill, Ron, Clint, Els, Shaaron, Ed, Harve, and James loaded and ready to head to Curry Transfer and Recycling

Call us at 541-469-4980 or 541-469-4334 if you find illegally dumped trash in our forests.