Cleaning up Ruidoso

David Tetreault, director of Keep Ruidoso Beautiful and staff of the village parks and recreation department, is preparing for the next Great American Cleanup April 28.

The annual event always draws a big turnout of volunteers. An added element this year will be the dedication of a botanical garden as a living example of reuse of forest waste.

But Tetreault, who has been event director for three years and a participant picking up trash for decades, said his real goal is that someday such organized cleanups will not be necessary.

"I think the most important thing is trying to inspire and educate the kids," he said. "I have been picking up trash for many years and if we can keep people from throwing trash, that's my goal, to reduce the litter and try to get the kids to buy in — to take some ownership and volunteer."

"Last year was out biggest cleanup," Tetreault said. "This is our 22nd year for the Great American Cleanup. The big thing is that we were at school House Park for 21 years and now we will be at Wingfield Park."

Wingfield is one block off Sudderth Drive in midtown Ruidoso at the Center Street intersection.

Last year set a record

"Last year, we had 291 participants and picked up 535 bags of trash or 10,700 pounds," he said.

The event also can be a fundraiser for groups, Tetreault said.

"They have to be a nonprofit group be paid and I will pay $10 per kid and we prefer 10 kids, so for every 10 kids, I will give them $100."

Before setting off for designated clean-up areas, volunteers will receive a T-shirt and reusable water bottle, gloves and trash bags.

A roll-off container able to accommodate larger items will be stationed at School House Park next to the municipal pool on Sudderth Drive. Tires, batteries, paint construction waste and household garbage are not  allowed to be dumped there, he said.

Registration begins at noon. Cleanup is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and then staff will man the grill to prepare lunch of hamburgers and hot dogs for volunteers. Many sponsors have donated all sorts of items to thank volunteers through a raffle. Each person will receive a raffle ticket.

Botanical garden dedication

At 3:45 p.m, the ribbon will be cut for the opening of the new Keep Ruidoso Beautiful botanical garden.

Reyna Flores, chairman of KRB, and some members of the board will be on hand. Members are Kelly Hall, James Russ, Alicia Annala and Todd Oberheu, with ex-officio members Vilage General Services Director Jeff Kaplan and Councilor Susan Lutterman.

'Reyna came up with this idea a year and a half ago," Kaplan said. "This is a dedication, so it is not finished. We have the plans. It takes time for this plants to get settled. In the next month, we have to get signage up and tell people not to bring their dogs inside, make sure you stay on pathway."

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Ultimately, Kaplan said he sees the garden being used for special events such as weddings.

"We want volunteers," he said. "We will give them a card so people know who they are. They can make their own adjustments to the garden and help us with the weeding. This garden is a seed for the community to have its own botanical garden.

"That's really what we would like to do. Instead of spending all kinds of money doing stuff, we will have volunteers working in the garden, which is good for the garden and tor them."