USDA Shawnee National Forest Service, Friends of the Shawnee, and the Illinois Extension will be partnering to host our annual spring Trash Blasts! They will happen on the first Friday of every month from March until June from 1 pm to 3 pm at various locations in the Shawnee National Forest. However, with the Total Eclipse happening so close to the beginning of April we will be moving April's Trash Blast to the Friday after the eclipse.
During Trash Blasts we will break into small teams of volunteers to collect litter from selected sites. We find items as large as mattresses to tiny micro trash. No matter what we find we try to remove it to help restore the area to its natural state.
To be prepared, volunteers should wear sturdy shoes, bring their leather work gloves, wear long pants and closed-toed shoes. If you do not have leather gloves we can help provide them for you. Trash buckets and trash grabbers will be provided for volunteers to use during the trash blast. This event is limited to 30 participants.
If you would like to learn more about this program contact Anne Townsend at
cupquake@illinois.edu. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate, please contact Anne Townsend at
cupquake@illinois.edu. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting access needs.