Partnerships

Over 310 Volunteers Makes the Annual Hardy Lake Sweep a Great Success!

by Lynda Phillips, Scott County SWCD District Coordinator

Every spring in late April, the Jefferson and Scott County Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCD), the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) at Hardy Lake, and the Central Muscatatuck Watershed host the Annual Hardy Lake Sweep.

There have been over 310 volunteers who donate their morning to pick up waste and debris in and around the watershed area of Hardy Lake State Reservoir. The event falls between the national celebrations of Earth Day and the National Association of Conservation District’s Stewardship Week.

Volunteers come cheerful, enthusiastic and ready to work. There are numerous scouting groups from Scott and Jefferson counties.  There also are community and 4-H groups, as well as individuals and families. Volunteers spend the morning picking up tons of trash and put in over 1,240 hours of volunteer time worth approximately $24,192.40.  

They clean up much of the 2,448 acres of lake property as well as more than 47 miles of county roads.  The volunteers receive a
t-shirt, lunch and are offered a free night of camping by Hardy Lake DNR.

Generous support comes from the many sponsors of the event. Last year, the Scott County Visitor’s Commission paid for lunch which was provided by Pioneer Village at a reduced rate. Pepsi Cola donated 336 bottles of soda and water. Wal Mart of Madison donated another 100 sodas.  Scott County Commissioners worked with Jobsite Materials Management to provide a large dumpster for the many bags of trash. 

The Johnson Volunteer Fire Department provided an emergency vehicle and latex gloves. Girl Scout Troup 127 donated and handed out cookies to all the volunteers for a morning snack. Hardy Lake Friends and the Stanley Family donated money which helped to defray other costs.  A big Thank You also goes to the Giveaway and Journal newspapers which printed numerous news articles prior to the event to raise public awareness.
 
The Sweep’s intent is to educate the community on the problems of illegal dumping and littering in Scott and Jefferson Counties. Littering has a harmful effect on our environment and places an economic burden on landowners and the local government. The community working together can protect our water and land.  Become a Volunteer. You can help by forming organized cleanups or by simply walking in your community to pick up trash. Your behavior is influential – others who see you will do the same. Be part of the solution. Do not illegally dump your trash. Recycle as much as possible: cans, glass, aluminum, paper bags, newspapers, scrap metal, etc. 

>> Click here to find out more about Indiana's SWCD