On Saturday, April 13th 2024, Mountain Valleys RC&D, Ivy River Partners, and the Town of Marshall teamed up to participate in the 2024 Great Madison County Litter Sweep Contest.
Volunteers met at Blannahasset Island to pick up materials before heading out to several key sites to clean up roadside litter. The focus was on roads in and around Marshall, especially roads alongside waterways.
A large group of students from Madison Early College and the Teens of Madison County attended as well as other local residents and town employees. The group collected 83 bags of litter during the event from roadsides including Hayes Run, Walnut Creek, and Bailey's Branch Roads.
Thank you to the Town of Marshall for facilitating a safe day for everyone by monitoring roadways and picking up bags during and after the litter sweep. Huge thanks to Forrest Gilliam and Jesse Mace for their partnership in organizing this effort and to Chief Mike Boone, Tracy Dufek, and James Flynn from the Public Works crew for their work to ensure everyone’s safety during the cleanup.
And a special thank you to Marshall Mayor Aaron Haynie for grilling up a delicious lunch for attendees!
Volunteers took home plants that support native pollinators--milkweed, aster, and echinacea. Additional native flowers will be planted on the banks of the French Broad on Blannahasset Island in the coming weeks.
The 2024 Great Madison County Litter Sweep ran from April 13-27th with prize money awarded to the groups that collected the most litter. In total the Marshall Parks and Rec team collected 148 bags of litter from Marshall area roadsides! Our collaborative event was in support of the Marshall Parks and Rec team. With the help of this event, the Parks and Rec Team finished third in the county Litter Sweep contest and will receive $700 in prize money for further town beautification!
