Locals Take on Trash Clean-Up

By Amber Ford, The Mountain Times

Mt. Hood Villages residents wear many hats while living in this great community. Parents, business owners, librarians, retirees, students, and now, The Hoodland Cleanup Crew. As tourism continues to grow and passersby use Highway 26 as a scenic route to central and eastern Oregon, the growing concern for litter and its lasting impact on The Mt. Hood National Forest and Mt. Hood Villages is now a concern with a local solution.

After many local reports of trash and debris found in nearby neighborhoods and National Forest areas, Mt. Hood Village resident, Bryan Baldwin, created an online forum via Facebook to organize a cleanup with other eager neighbors looking to help. “I have always picked up garbage in the woods,” Baldwin said. “In the last few years it’s become a huge problem and I knew I needed to figure out something to get our community involved,” Baldwin added. 

Around a dozen community volunteers put on their best mountain apparel and made their way up LoLo Pass Road with a mission to clean up as much trash as possible. Locals removed everything from everyday trash to construction debris. Among those volunteering their time, long time Mt. Hood Villages resident Molly Espenel, was profoundly saddened by the amount of trash. “I have seen an increase in the amount of litter in the forest for sure,” Espenel said. “More people are using pre-existing dispersed campsites or making their own, and they leave so much behind,” Espenel added.

Although many residential neighborhoods throughout The Mt. Hood Villages do directly connect to areas of The Mt. Hood National Forest, this cleanup effort was orchestrated and completed with the backing of the community. “All cleanup that took place was near the McNeil campground area, the Riley Horse area, and the Top Spur areas up Lolo Pass,” Baldwin said. “With each cleanup there were nine people and as many as five vehicles and trucks with winches,” Baldwin added. While The Mt. Hood National Forest Service does provide cleanup and trash services at designated locations, the vast forest provides unauthorized dumping so community members get involved. “If our community doesn’t do it, it may not happen,” Espenel said. “We take pride in our community and forested areas and we do not need the eyesore,” Espenel added. The Mt. Hood National Forest service has acknowledged the commitment Mt. Hood Villages residents have made to cleanup efforts in their community. “I had a meeting with The U.S.F.S. [United States Forest Service] and they are on board, supportive, and appreciative,” Baldwin said. “We hope to coordinate our efforts in the future,” Baldwin added.

Among those involved in Baldwin’s cleanup crew were Molly Espenel, Lisa Galbraith, James Caswell, Bry Birdwell, Chris Page, and Mike Sinz. Baldwin hopes to keep this going monthly as needed. For more information on how to get involved visit The Hood Cleanup Crew on Facebook.