Service Day

A few years ago President Obama declared Martin Luther King Day as Service Day. As someone who is chemically sensitive, I am limited in my service options so I considered in what ways would I be able to volunteer and still avoid exposure to chemicals. Volunteering with people and feeling that solidarity and camaraderie would be lovely, but OUT. People stink.

As I pondered my options that day, I went for a walk at the park located down by the river and a block away from my home. At the far end of the park is very short wetlands trail. If I look up at the cliff, I can see my house. The rusty cans, toilet paper, cigarette butts, candy bar wrappers and used condoms littering the area called to me. (Yes! I said used condoms! Litterbugs are sex fiends.) My service project was born. I adopted the wetlands trail.

The Wetlands Trail

I try to go down at least once a year and do a little clean up. Sporting two layers of rubber gloves and carrying  a long weapon-stick in one hand and a large garbage bag in the other, I trudge through the thicket. Litterbugs are shifty. They do their damnest to hide their garbage by throwing it in the bushes, blackberry stickers,  marsh grasses, and in the water. I wear my indestructible rubber rain boots so I can go nearly anywhere. During the winter is the best time for service work because the foliage has died back and you can see the garbage better. Unfortunately, if surrounded by a prison of thick blackberry vines, the trash can be impossible to retrieve even with my weapon-stick. All I can do is stare and feel frustrated.

Garbage in Prison

The first year I took a small plastic grocery bag and had to come back for more. I ended up filling four of them with lots of old cans, large pieces of plastic, candy wrappers, cigarette butts, used condoms and a deflated soccer ball. I rolled an old tire out of the swamp and up the hill. Before I left I stopped to visit with the litterbugs fishing at the dock and gave them a piece of my mind about using the trash can right next to them instead of throwing it in the bushes. I should have lectured them on using the bushes for a toilet, too. I draw the line at picking up used toilet paper.


This year's adventure was strangely different. The wetlands sign had been removed and the trail was overgrown suggesting the city is no longer maintaining it. They also removed the garbage can at the dock. No one used it anyway. I think the overgrowth discourages litterbugs and sex fiends. I filled only a half of a large garbage bag, and no used condoms. I did find a huge piece of old plastic to drag out. SCORE!

River view from the trail.

It amazes me people respect nature so little they don't care where they throw their garbage. It pollutes the river, kills the fish, injures wildlife, and I can't even imagine the damage those used condoms do to the environment!

I do have a confession - I always forget about Service Day until President's Day. I get confused and think MLK Day is in February maybe because February is Black History Month. Oh well, better late than never. Besides it's difficult to pick up garbage in the snow.

What do you do for service?