At Columbia-Wide Volunteer Event in March, A Little Litter Cleanup Can Go A Long Way

The assorted trash – 464 bags’ worth – was bad enough. But then there were the other items found in what is intended to be one of Columbia’s more attractive features – its acres upon acres of open space.

Those items? Tires. Shopping carts. Lawn furniture. Computers. A Christmas tree. Bicycles. Bicycle parts. A sign. A gutter. A rug. And a front door.

“It’s ridiculous. It’s flat-out ridiculous,” said Sean Harbaugh, assistant director of open space for Columbia Association. “It’s sad.”

That garbage was pulled from open space around town during a pair of “Columbia-Wide Clean Up Day” events held in 2009 and 2010, gatherings that brought a combined 323 volunteers.

The efforts continue this year, with volunteers invited to come out for three hours on Saturday, March 26, fanning out from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in designated areas in Columbia’s 10 villages (see chart below).

“Trash ends up in open spaces just from blowing around [out of trash bins and vehicles], or from carelessness or littering,” Harbaugh said. “This event helps raise awareness of the individual impacts on open space and the natural environment if you don’t throw away or reduce your trash.”

Trash tends to end up in and around Columbia’s streams and in fields where children play, he said.

“The trash and debris that ends up in the streams and in the lakes also gets into the Middle and Little Patuxent rivers and also into the Chesapeake Bay,” Harbaugh said.

Columbia Association staff are regularly out in the open spaces cleaning, he said.

“We do the natural areas once a year, but we are patrolling the open spaces on a daily basis for other reasons. They pick up the trash before they mow. We also have trash cans at all our tot lots, and those get picked up. And there are trash cans at other open spaces that get picked up. We also respond to concerns from residents,” he said.

Yet more trash does accumulate.

“They’re not necessarily problem areas, but are areas we know trash ends up – either because it blows into the area, or it’s just something we haven’t gone and cleaned up ourselves that year.”

Those interested in volunteering are asked to call their village community center (phone numbers are below) or to call Harbaugh himself at 410-381-3470.

 “And if someone is enterested in doing [another] cleanup like this, we can certainly work with them,” Harbaugh said.

Village

Where to Park

Cleanup Area

Dorsey’s Search

410-730-4005

Dorsey Hall Pool

4649 Columbia Road

CA and County open space behind the Dorsey Hall Pool and along the Plum Tree Branch and Red Hill Branch

Harper’s Choice

410-730-0770

Longfellow Pool

5257 Eliot’s Oak Road

Stream valley from Harper’s Farm Road through behind Hildebrand Court, Mystic Court and Killingworth Way

Hickory Ridge

410-730-7327

Clary’s Forest Pool

11615 Little Patuxent Parkway

Open space play meadow in the interior of the Little Patuxent Parkway loop and the path that runs parallel to Dark Fire

Kings Contrivance

410-381-9600

Amherst House

7251 Eden Brook Lane

Open space and natural area behind the Amherst House and near Dickinson Pool

Long Reach

410-730-8113

301-596-3265

Locust Park Pool

8995 Lambskin Lane

Open space across from Locust Park Pool following stream to Route 175 underpass

Oakland Mills

410-730-4610

301-596-5237

Columbia Ice Rink

5876 Thunder Hill Road

From the Ice Rink to Whiteacre Road and the open space area along the path towards Talbott Springs Pool

Owen Brown

410-381-0202

Lake Elkhorn – dock side parking lot

Dockside Lane

Lake Elkhorn and the forebay area

River Hill

410-531-1749

River Hill Village Center - Claret Hall

6020 Daybreak Circle

Behind Gentle Call down past Ascending Moon Path

Town Center

410-730-4744

Historic Oakland Manor

5430 Vantage Point Road

Wilde Creek stream valley from Little Patuxent Parkway to Lake Kittamaqundi

Wilde Lake

410-730-3987

301-596-4883

Wilde Lake Barn

10027 Hyla Brook Road

Wilde Lake stream valley from Wilde Lake upstream to Faulkner Ridge Circle