1. 9/21/15, 12:39 PMKTMB’s Great Community Cleanup 2015 | Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful
Page 1 of 3http://ktmb.org/ktmbs-great-community-cleanup-2015/
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Members of the Nevada National Guard prepare a car for extraction on Tuesday.
J Merriman | Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful
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ContactsContacts
KTMB: J Merriman, Communications Manager | jmerriman@ktmb.org I 775.851.5185
WCSO: Bob Harmon, Community Relations | bharmon@washoecounty.us | 775.771.8252
Nevada National Guard: Col. Daniel Waters | daniel.r.waters2.mil@mail.mil | 775.971.6056
Community Foundation of Western Nevada: Margaret Steward, Communications Director | mstewart@nevadafund.org | 775.333.5499
Waste Management: Sarah Polito, Communication Specialist | spolito@wm.com | 775.412.1906
Map of cleanup locations, photos, video and more:Map of cleanup locations, photos, video and more: ktmb.org/events/ktmbs-great-community-cleanup/
Note:Note: Event is called KTMB’s Great Community Cleanup
KTMB’s Great Community Cleanup, Nevada National Guard car removal May 2KTMB’s Great Community Cleanup, Nevada National Guard car removal May 2
Green waste will be composted for first time thanks to Waste Management, RT Donovan
RENO, NV (April 30, 2015) – More than 700 volunteers will be
cleaning 18 sites throughout the Truckee Meadows this Saturday
during KTMB’s Great Community Cleanup. And the tonnage of
trash pulled out of Reno open space will be a little higher on May
2, thanks to an Eagle Scout candidate named Jacob Waters –
and all the government officials he got to help him on his project.
“Dumped vehicles are a problem the KTMB Illegal Dumping Task
Force partners have been trying to tackle for years, so we were
beyond excited when Jake approached us with his Eagle Scout
project,” said Jaime Souza, program manager for Keep Truckee
Meadows Beautiful (KTMB).
Jake was watching TV with his dad – Col. Daniel Waters, a
helicopter pilot with the Nevada National Guard – when they saw
a program about chemicals in the Truckee River. The show spurred
Jake to do more research about the chemicals in cars and
pollution in the source of Truckee Meadows drinking water.
“His research and willingness to educate the public about this
problem are spectacular to see,” said Souza.
“When you know that removing the cars provides a unique training
opportunity for the Nevada National Guard helicopter crews, and
it also provides such a valuable service to the community, this
project really fulfills two missions.”
Jake and his dad did initial reconnaissance, with help from the
Washoe County Sherriff’s Office, which has been tracking illegally
dumped cars for years. Jake mapped the location of 15 cars
pushed into ravines, which could not be dragged out by
conventional means, and that’s where Jake’s dad – and the
Nevada National Guard Chinooks with their longlines, helibaskets
and rescue crews – came in.
This week, staff from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Nevada
Department of Motor Vehicles, Nevada National Guard and KTMB
went out to do advance work – hooking up the cars, looking at
May 01, 2015
Blog > KTMB’s Great Community Cleanup 2015
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2. 9/21/15, 12:39 PMKTMB’s Great Community Cleanup 2015 | Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful
Page 2 of 3http://ktmb.org/ktmbs-great-community-cleanup-2015/
Eugene Matys of the Nevada DMV maneuvers an abandoned car to find the VIN.
J Merriman | Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful
Nevada DMV appraisers search for a VIN on a dumped car Tuesday.
J Merriman | Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful
vehicle identification numbers and scouting staging areas – so the
cars would be ready to hook up and fly out Saturday, and
neighbors would be disturbed as little as possible, although Jake
and
Col. Waters have canvassed the affected neighborhoods to let
people know why they will have low-flying helicopters in their
backyards Saturday morning.
“We get so many calls every year from volunteers and members of
the public about abandoned and dumped cars, and once one
car is there, it attracts other trash and illegal activity,” said Souza.
“Removing these cars will really alleviate dumping in some
problem areas.”
“We are so inspired to see this car-removal operation initiated by a
14-year-old Boy Scout,” said Sue Donaldson, a Truckee River Fund
advisory board and expert on the local watershed. “Dumped cars
are a source of contaminants in our groundwater, and the leaking
chemicals can end up in the Truckee River.
Volunteers like Jake, who care about our community, are why the
Truckee River Fund is delighted to help fund KTMB’s Great
Community Cleanup. Each spring, this event motivates volunteers
from all over Reno and Sparks to get out and make a powerful
difference together. The Truckee River Fund and the Community
Foundation of Western Nevada look for projects that actively engage residents to work for solutions to our community’s issues and that pull
together diverse organizations to accomplish a common goal of protecting our watershed.”
Another exciting addition to KTMB’s Great Community Cleanup this year is the ability to compost green waste, thanks to a Think Green grant
from Waste Management to pay for separate dumpsters, and RT Donovan taking the green waste free of charge. The Think Green grant will
also allow KTMB to purchase the composted green waste from RT Donovan for use in six area garden projects throughout the Truckee
Meadows.
“We collect tons of green waste – mostly invasive weeds – at our cleanups, and in the past that’s all gone to the landfill, something our
volunteers really wished was not the case,” Souza said. “We are so happy to have a different plan for that green waste this year. ”
This year, KTMB’s Great Community Cleanup is May 2, 2015, from 8 a.m.-noon. Volunteers can choose from a number of park, river and open
space sites at ktmb.org/volunteer, and can sign up as individuals, families or groups. Community organizations and workplaces are
encouraged to volunteer together, and can visit ktmb.org or call 851.5185 to find out more information. A picnic for volunteers will follow the
cleanup.
KTMB’s Great Community Cleanup is sponsored by Intuit in partnership with the Truckee River Fund, Barrick Gold Corporation, NV Energy
Foundation, REI, Truckee Meadows Water Authority, Waste Management, cities of Reno and Sparks, Sun Valley General Improvement District,
Washoe County, Washoe County Health District, and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.
KTMB’s Great Community Cleanup began in 2006 as a part of a community-based effort to preserve the natural beauty of local recreation
areas and remove the dangers to people and wildlife associated with illegal dump sites and invasive weeds. For a map of 2015 cleanup sites,
before photos, video and more, visit ktmb.org/events/ktmbs-great-community-cleanup/
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Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful is private nonprofit supported by community donations dedicated to creating a cleaner, more beautiful
region through education and active community involvement. To find out how you can help, call 851.5185 or visit www.ktmb.org.
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