Toss No Mas, Keep Ruidoso Beautiful Oct. 14

The Village of Ruidoso Parks and Recreation Department and Keep Ruidoso Beautiful is hosting the 2018 Ruidoso ‘Toss No Mas’ River Clean Up on Sunday, Oct. 14.

Under the direction and coordination of Park Supervisor & Executive Director of Keep Ruidoso Beautiful (KRB) David “T-Bone” Tetreault, Parks and Recreation Department (VRP&RD) has been hosting clean-up events since 1997 and 2018 has succeeded prior years in the amount of litter removed from the rivers, creeks, parks and roadways.

Village officials and community leaders have spoken up against litter and how it is not acceptable. Leaders Against Litter included Mayor Lynn D. Crawford, the Chamber of Commerce, US Forestry Department, Community Leaders and several local businesses that have been involved in past clean-up efforts by the VRP&RD and support the efforts of these events that occur twice a year; once in the Spring and once in Fall.

Registration and a ‘meet n greet’ will begin at 12 p.m. at the Pavilion in Wingfield Park, located at corner of Center Street and Wingfield Street, one block above midtown. “We had a huge turn out last year, 180 people showed to help, and it was more than we had expected. We are hoping that this years’ cleanup will be much larger by removing more garbage from our waterways,” David Tetreault said. “We gathered some 7,000 pounds of trash last year during the Fall cleanup.”

In 2017 Cleanup Day in April had 202 volunteers that removed over 6000 lbs. of litter from the streets, parks, and waterways of the Village. “It is about keeping our village beautiful and educating the community about the litter that ends up in our waterways and all over our streets. Most people do not realize how long different types of garbage takes to decompose,” Tetreault said.

Garbage, such as plastic bottles and bags, can take up to 1000 years to decompose; Styrofoam and glass never decompose. Cigarette butts, which seems to be of major concern in our parks, in our water ways, and on our streets can take up to 12 years to decompose. “Cleaning up our village makes an impact on visitors and locals alike by showing them what a beautiful place Ruidoso is to visit and live. Donations and commitment to our cause will be recognized at the event,” Tetreault said.

Areas of focus will cover Ruidoso River, Cedar Creek, Eagle Creek, Carrizo Creek, Bogs Spring (located near Ruidoso High School on Gavilan Canyon), and for those not wanting to venture into the water ways, Brady Canyon and a few roads.

“Our goal is to build and sustain our vibrant community by taking action to transform public spaces not beautiful places and raise litter awareness by collecting even more trash than we did last year. To meet this goal, we are asking for sponsorship from local businesses and individuals to encourage public participation,” Tetreault said.

Teams of volunteers will be sent to designated locations with trash bags, gloves and given a t-shirt. Once the bags are filled, they will be left by the side of the road and collected by the Village of Ruidoso Parks Department and Solid Waste staff.

Periodically, the Parks and Recreation staff will deliver water to the volunteers, so they did not have to carry any extra weight with them. The teams are reminded that their safety is important and to be careful as some areas of these water ways can be slippery this time of year and there will be vehicles traveling on the roads.

Once the cleanup has ended, everyone will meet back at Wingfield park for snacks and a raffle around 3 p.m. There will be youth group fundraising opportunities for any club/organization with 10 or more (youth) volunteers at the event, they will receive $10 per child for their organization/group for volunteering at Toss No Mas.

“We do this to not only educate children about the harm litter creates for our environment, but how critical the success of these events is. It educates children, and the community, about the value of volunteering and to take pride in our community; to take responsibility,” Tetreault said.  “We are grateful and express our gratitude for all the volunteers that participate in the Clean Up Ruidoso/Keep Ruidoso Beautiful/Toss No Mas events,”

Tetreault had submitted a proposal to the state of New Mexico for a grant that would provide more trash receptacles to be placed throughout the village. “We do not have enough trash and recycle containers here now. They get full and people place their bags of garbage next to the containers. Animals rip them apart seeking the food then the litter is carried away by the wind. The litter here isn’t always because people are just throwing trash on the ground. This has been an issue for our Village for some time now,” he said.

The grant was approved, and the Ruidoso Parks and Recreation Department will be placing 13 bear-proof trash cans throughout the Grindstone area where they are most needed because of heavy traffic, especially during the months of peek tourism. Tetreault is currently working on a grant proposal to build a garden in Wingfield Park. “Together we are transforming not only our community, but the lives of those that live here and visit here by building a brighter future. Without you, it wouldn’t be possible,” he said.

Dave Tetreault and the Parks and Recreation Department Staff would like to thank everyone who has participated in these events in the past. “We are so appreciative to all those who show up to help keep Ruidoso clean. We want to express our thankfulness and our gratitude to each one of you that volunteer, participate, and donate to the cause,” he said. He encourages the residence here to maintain this mindset each day and is hopeful, thorough education and understanding, that litter in the Village will no longer be of concern.

Registration will begin at 12 at the Pavilion in Wingfield Park. For further information on how to help keep Ruidoso Beautiful, or information on future events please contact the Village of Ruidoso Parks and Recreation Department at (575) 257-5030 at parksrec@ruidoso-nm.gov.