January 7, 2019
Happy New Year to all!
We had a very successful fundraiser for our Emergency Needs Fund. 55 volunteers helped us fill the coffers at our table at City Market from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve. We raised $11,125.00 at City Market, and a little more than that through private donations. When you add in a grant we will most likely receive later this year, we have exceeded our goal of $25,000! See the thank you ad we placed in the Moab Sun News, the Ad-Vertiser, and the Times-Independent.
Happy New Year to all!
We had a very successful fundraiser for our Emergency Needs Fund. 55 volunteers helped us fill the coffers at our table at City Market from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve. We raised $11,125.00 at City Market, and a little more than that through private donations. When you add in a grant we will most likely receive later this year, we have exceeded our goal of $25,000! See the thank you ad we placed in the Moab Sun News, the Ad-Vertiser, and the Times-Independent.
In addition to raising funds for our emergency fund, we were able to get in some trail work, volunteer some at the recycle center, deal with a very large assist involving over a dozen people, walk along the parkway, and, best of all, get great help from Girl Scout Troop "Daisy Troop #572". We all got together on Saturday the 5th - 6 girl scouts, four parents, and siblings of the scouts. We split up into three groups and walked different areas of the parkway looking for trash and recycling. Because of the cold weather and snow, we didn't find as much as we would find in the warmer weather, but we did find trash and recycling on all sections we walked. The troop decided that they wanted to do the same section again when the weather is warmer and note the difference. Thanks Girls!!!
Homeless News The Point in Time (PIT) count is coming up. This is a nationwide effort to count homeless across the USA. Moab Solutions works on looking for the unsheltered homeless. We have had a cold and snowy winter, which is hard on the aging homeless population. A couple of the guys are in jail for a few months, which may just save their lives. We are hoping to find a more positive alternative. Stay tuned!
In addition to raising funds for our emergency fund, we were able to get in some trail work, volunteer some at the recycle center, deal with a very large assist involving over a dozen people, walk along the parkway, and, best of all, get great help from Girl Scout Troop "Daisy Troop #572". We all got together on Saturday the 5th - 6 girl scouts, four parents, and siblings of the scouts. We split up into three groups and walked different areas of the parkway looking for trash and recycling. Because of the cold weather and snow, we didn't find as much as we would find in the warmer weather, but we did find trash and recycling on all sections we walked. The troop decided that they wanted to do the same section again when the weather is warmer and note the difference. Thanks Girls!!!
Homeless News The Point in Time (PIT) count is coming up. This is a nationwide effort to count homeless across the USA. Moab Solutions works on looking for the unsheltered homeless. We have had a cold and snowy winter, which is hard on the aging homeless population. A couple of the guys are in jail for a few months, which may just save their lives. We are hoping to find a more positive alternative. Stay tuned!
December 12, 2018
Another late entry, but forgive me, things have been extraordinarily robust. We are doing daily, except for Sunday, fundraising over at City Market for our Emergency Needs Fund. We raise about half of the $25,000 we need to make it through one year. We have a wonderful group of volunteers who have stepped up to volunteer with us. We made the shifts one - one and a half hours so that is much more tolerable than the two hour shifts we have had in the past. And we are over halfway to reaching our goal with this effort. City Market has been amazing.
This is my favorite time of the year in certain respects. Main Street is often empty, the air is clean and fresh, the light is off-the-charts gorgeous, and the community reemerges or is just easier to see as the tourism slows way down. This is the community I moved to and fell in love with 19 years ago. And one that is sadly disappearing.
Many calls for help come in this time of year. I have had over 15 calls already this month. Some of which are heartbreaking. We are honored to be able to assist when we can and to help be a turning point for people when they are really down on their luck.
Trail work and maintenance continues in Mill Creek Canyon. This is the time to get things ready for the busy times. An ounce of protection.......
We would love to have you join us for a cleanup in the washes in the Potato Salad Hill area, or for walk along the parkway in town to look for homeless camps and to enjoy this gem right in city limits. Give us a call!
In the meantime, enjoy this wonderful photo from a friend.
Another late entry, but forgive me, things have been extraordinarily robust. We are doing daily, except for Sunday, fundraising over at City Market for our Emergency Needs Fund. We raise about half of the $25,000 we need to make it through one year. We have a wonderful group of volunteers who have stepped up to volunteer with us. We made the shifts one - one and a half hours so that is much more tolerable than the two hour shifts we have had in the past. And we are over halfway to reaching our goal with this effort. City Market has been amazing.
This is my favorite time of the year in certain respects. Main Street is often empty, the air is clean and fresh, the light is off-the-charts gorgeous, and the community reemerges or is just easier to see as the tourism slows way down. This is the community I moved to and fell in love with 19 years ago. And one that is sadly disappearing.
Many calls for help come in this time of year. I have had over 15 calls already this month. Some of which are heartbreaking. We are honored to be able to assist when we can and to help be a turning point for people when they are really down on their luck.
Trail work and maintenance continues in Mill Creek Canyon. This is the time to get things ready for the busy times. An ounce of protection.......
We would love to have you join us for a cleanup in the washes in the Potato Salad Hill area, or for walk along the parkway in town to look for homeless camps and to enjoy this gem right in city limits. Give us a call!
In the meantime, enjoy this wonderful photo from a friend.
November 17, 2018
I am really late with my entry this month. Sorry! I took a short trip to Oregon, on the Amtrak, to visit some very dear friends at their farm. The time away was nourishing and seeing dear friends and Moab Solutions supporters and volunteers, was refreshing.
I hit the ground running when I got back. Right off the train and soon off to the canyon to check things out, then over to the recycle center. We are still trying hard to create the recycle center we deserve here in Moab. A recent great hire, for facilities manager, is going to make a wonderful difference.
I have been doing "Fix Mix" things the last few days - checking out Moonflower Canyon and doing little bits of trail maintenance, and working on refreshing rock outlines at Potato Salad Hill, and maintaining and improving protective measures at spots along Sand Flats Road.
We had a great group from USU Logan help us repair a trail near the bike jumps for their alternative break earlier this month. They were inspiring and did an excellent job widening the trail, and helping pull hundreds of weeds that were growing across the trail. See photo below.
I have had so many calls for help this month that I have blown through my budget for the month. Luckily, we will start our fundraising at City Market right after Thanksgiving. We try to raise about $24,000, which just about gets us through the year. If you want to help us at the City Market table, give me a call!
I am really late with my entry this month. Sorry! I took a short trip to Oregon, on the Amtrak, to visit some very dear friends at their farm. The time away was nourishing and seeing dear friends and Moab Solutions supporters and volunteers, was refreshing.
I hit the ground running when I got back. Right off the train and soon off to the canyon to check things out, then over to the recycle center. We are still trying hard to create the recycle center we deserve here in Moab. A recent great hire, for facilities manager, is going to make a wonderful difference.
I have been doing "Fix Mix" things the last few days - checking out Moonflower Canyon and doing little bits of trail maintenance, and working on refreshing rock outlines at Potato Salad Hill, and maintaining and improving protective measures at spots along Sand Flats Road.
We had a great group from USU Logan help us repair a trail near the bike jumps for their alternative break earlier this month. They were inspiring and did an excellent job widening the trail, and helping pull hundreds of weeds that were growing across the trail. See photo below.
I have had so many calls for help this month that I have blown through my budget for the month. Luckily, we will start our fundraising at City Market right after Thanksgiving. We try to raise about $24,000, which just about gets us through the year. If you want to help us at the City Market table, give me a call!
October 8, 2018
The cool rains came on Thursday and they keep on coming! Thursday saw powerful rains, waterfalls everywhere, high winds and much needed relief to the area. The continuing gentle rains are helping all living things thrive. We are thrilled!
The Solihull Society returned to Moab, as they do every two years, and they kindly offered to volunteer with us again. Seven members of the group worked with us to clean a section of the Loop Road, near Pack Creek. We filled Moab Solutions' truck with recycling and trash, and enjoyed the fellowship and good will of passing motorists who stopped to thank us.
Thank you Solihull Society!
The work that Trail Mix did at Mill Creek for National Public Lands Day was very successful. If it holds, the restoration of this large area will improve habitat, plant life, and watershed health. Thanks Trail Mix!
Stay tuned for more of this entry, coming soon!
The cool rains came on Thursday and they keep on coming! Thursday saw powerful rains, waterfalls everywhere, high winds and much needed relief to the area. The continuing gentle rains are helping all living things thrive. We are thrilled!
The Solihull Society returned to Moab, as they do every two years, and they kindly offered to volunteer with us again. Seven members of the group worked with us to clean a section of the Loop Road, near Pack Creek. We filled Moab Solutions' truck with recycling and trash, and enjoyed the fellowship and good will of passing motorists who stopped to thank us.
Thank you Solihull Society!
The work that Trail Mix did at Mill Creek for National Public Lands Day was very successful. If it holds, the restoration of this large area will improve habitat, plant life, and watershed health. Thanks Trail Mix!
Stay tuned for more of this entry, coming soon!
September 8, 2018
The cooler weather is here! Mid-day can still get into the 90s, but nights and mornings are cool, almost cold. I am loving it. My energy comes surging back and I feel like a new person.
This month I turn 64, and I want very much to find the next executive director of Moab Solutions so the work will continue past my time with it. I want to hire someone part-time, who may be interested in continuing many of the projects, and then after a few years of working and training, retire. If you know anyone who is interested, let me know.
Keep your fingers crossed for our recycle center. My deepest desire is to see it vibrant and functioning the way a center should and can. I want to see the center take more materials and in that regard I am working on something that could make the whole town smile soon. I am still going every morning when the center is open and making sure the front area is ready for the public. Clean, with room for people to drop off their recycling. Stay tuned!
Lots going on in Mill Creek soon - Trail Mix is bringing in a group for Public Lands Day, 9/22 and they will work on closing some user-created trails. Those trails are not helpful to the restoration process, so we are looking forward to a successful trail day.
I will be working on my own and with hired trail workers throughout the winter to continue protecting off-trail areas to the waterfall and beyond. We would love you to join us when you can.
Every day I go in the morning to perform minor trail maintenance, keep the dog waste station full of bags, and check the bathrooms, parking area, and trails for trash and recycling. I have heard from a couple of pros lately that the place is looking great. YEAH!
Outreach to the homeless continues, but is getting trickier as those with the most serious problems remain on the streets. One man, with whom I have worked for over 8 years, and who had achieved sobriety, work and an apartment, (before it all fell apart), told me the other day (when I asked him if I could help him get a shower), that "he makes more money from the tourists when he looks dirty". This broke my heart as it shows he is so far gone he has a long, long, way to go to try to get his life back should he decide on that path. But some of the others are making a little headway.
Volunteer Vacation swings back into action on September 20, when members of the Solihill Society are here for the National Land Rover Rally. We are going to pick up littered trash and recycling along Spanish Valley Drive, from Ken's Lake towards the mountains and make a little video of the amounts to share with the public.
Until October!
The cooler weather is here! Mid-day can still get into the 90s, but nights and mornings are cool, almost cold. I am loving it. My energy comes surging back and I feel like a new person.
This month I turn 64, and I want very much to find the next executive director of Moab Solutions so the work will continue past my time with it. I want to hire someone part-time, who may be interested in continuing many of the projects, and then after a few years of working and training, retire. If you know anyone who is interested, let me know.
Keep your fingers crossed for our recycle center. My deepest desire is to see it vibrant and functioning the way a center should and can. I want to see the center take more materials and in that regard I am working on something that could make the whole town smile soon. I am still going every morning when the center is open and making sure the front area is ready for the public. Clean, with room for people to drop off their recycling. Stay tuned!
Lots going on in Mill Creek soon - Trail Mix is bringing in a group for Public Lands Day, 9/22 and they will work on closing some user-created trails. Those trails are not helpful to the restoration process, so we are looking forward to a successful trail day.
I will be working on my own and with hired trail workers throughout the winter to continue protecting off-trail areas to the waterfall and beyond. We would love you to join us when you can.
Every day I go in the morning to perform minor trail maintenance, keep the dog waste station full of bags, and check the bathrooms, parking area, and trails for trash and recycling. I have heard from a couple of pros lately that the place is looking great. YEAH!
Outreach to the homeless continues, but is getting trickier as those with the most serious problems remain on the streets. One man, with whom I have worked for over 8 years, and who had achieved sobriety, work and an apartment, (before it all fell apart), told me the other day (when I asked him if I could help him get a shower), that "he makes more money from the tourists when he looks dirty". This broke my heart as it shows he is so far gone he has a long, long, way to go to try to get his life back should he decide on that path. But some of the others are making a little headway.
Volunteer Vacation swings back into action on September 20, when members of the Solihill Society are here for the National Land Rover Rally. We are going to pick up littered trash and recycling along Spanish Valley Drive, from Ken's Lake towards the mountains and make a little video of the amounts to share with the public.
Until October!
August 6, 2018
I am trying to be patient, but can't wait for the cooler air to come in, which usually happens mid-August. The heat and I don't get along all that well, but I am trying my best to live life at the edges - early mornings and late evenings.
Birthday Month! This month, 14 years ago, we started Friends of the Parkway in partnership with Moab City. That work, on the parkway system, led us to interactions with the homeless population. We started working very intently with them in August of 2008. Check our the variety of things we did with the homeless at our Homeless Assistance page.
We continue to try to work with people in need. We are getting ready to send our 22nd person to a free, highly effective six month rehab. We are also trying to work with the hard core, long term, homeless, still living out on the streets. I did recently get a grant from the Synergy Company. Their charitable arm takes requests for funding from community groups and I was honored to receive one to help people in need and homeless.
Speaking of great organizations, I want to give a shout out to WabiSabi. This non-profit thrift has touched every corner of this community with their gracious giving, wonderful staff, timely workshops and more. They support Moab Solutions as one of the partners, and we just received a very healthy check from them that will allow us to keep on keeping on with some of our projects. Thanks Wabi!
Recycling in Moab is going through many changes. World-wide changes are wreaking havoc with markets, but we are hoping that our center can improve and adapt to the changes. Currently, our Community Recycle Center has had to stop taking several items, and has had to cut back on open hours due to a backlog of material that needs to be processed, but we have hope! We have been looking to Curbside Recycling Indefinitely, in Grand Junction, CO for inspiration. This 25 year old curbside recycling and processing center, (with a free and vibrant drop-off for the public), sells separated materials for top dollar to domestic markets.
I have been going up to the center most mornings, with volunteers and on my own, to keep the front area nice and clean and pick up windblown trash and recycling. Come join us!
Mill Creek Canyon is holding its own. There are lots of user-created trails, which is heartbreaking, but we are hoping to address that issue over the less crowded winter months. We would love you to help us out when you have a half an hour or so!
Until September.
I am trying to be patient, but can't wait for the cooler air to come in, which usually happens mid-August. The heat and I don't get along all that well, but I am trying my best to live life at the edges - early mornings and late evenings.
Birthday Month! This month, 14 years ago, we started Friends of the Parkway in partnership with Moab City. That work, on the parkway system, led us to interactions with the homeless population. We started working very intently with them in August of 2008. Check our the variety of things we did with the homeless at our Homeless Assistance page.
We continue to try to work with people in need. We are getting ready to send our 22nd person to a free, highly effective six month rehab. We are also trying to work with the hard core, long term, homeless, still living out on the streets. I did recently get a grant from the Synergy Company. Their charitable arm takes requests for funding from community groups and I was honored to receive one to help people in need and homeless.
Speaking of great organizations, I want to give a shout out to WabiSabi. This non-profit thrift has touched every corner of this community with their gracious giving, wonderful staff, timely workshops and more. They support Moab Solutions as one of the partners, and we just received a very healthy check from them that will allow us to keep on keeping on with some of our projects. Thanks Wabi!
Recycling in Moab is going through many changes. World-wide changes are wreaking havoc with markets, but we are hoping that our center can improve and adapt to the changes. Currently, our Community Recycle Center has had to stop taking several items, and has had to cut back on open hours due to a backlog of material that needs to be processed, but we have hope! We have been looking to Curbside Recycling Indefinitely, in Grand Junction, CO for inspiration. This 25 year old curbside recycling and processing center, (with a free and vibrant drop-off for the public), sells separated materials for top dollar to domestic markets.
I have been going up to the center most mornings, with volunteers and on my own, to keep the front area nice and clean and pick up windblown trash and recycling. Come join us!
Mill Creek Canyon is holding its own. There are lots of user-created trails, which is heartbreaking, but we are hoping to address that issue over the less crowded winter months. We would love you to help us out when you have a half an hour or so!
Until September.
July 11, 2018
There has been so much going on I haven't been able to enter my July diary. I am going to get to it tomorrow! Or else.....
Well, tomorrow turned into a few tomorrows, but don't they say "Better late than never?"
July 14 There has been a lot going on across the community around recycling. The center appeared on the verge of collapse, so we stepped in with volunteers on a daily basis to help keep the drop off area neat and ready to accept recycling. We bring windblown cardboard and other recycling back to where it belongs, and even with the heat, we have fun doing it! Sweet Cravings gave me many $15 gift cards to hand out to volunteers, which is making lots of tummys happy!
We had discussions with the board and asked them how they would feel if another entity took over the recycle center operation in a public-private partnership with the District. They like that idea, as having to deal with running the landfills and the recycle center is too big of a task. So there are talks underway with an interested and highly experienced person to do just that! Stay tuned....
For a few more details, check out this letter to the editor that I submitted to the Times-Independent: The sunny future of recycling.
We were also busy helping a family that lost their home on May 1, 2018. This family of four, mom and three daughters, suffered the loss of their husband/father in 2014 when he was crushed to death when jacks failed on a vehicle he was helping fix at a local business.
A group was called to come together and we worked with the family to see what they wanted. They loved the idea of getting into a home they could own, so we found available homes in Grand Oasis, a manufactured home community. The family fell in love with one of the units and we set about to raise $20,000 for a down payment so that the family would have manageable payments going forward. They closed on the property last week and moved in right away. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - Relief Society, had a garage full of collected items for the family. Beds, other furniture, clothing, kitchen goods, etc. They came right over that evening and moved all the items into the new home. The family is ecstatic! This was a true community effort, with many donations of food, gas cards, meals, realtor services, inspection services and donations toward the down payment coming from across the community. Check it out in this great story in the Moab Sun News: Lameman story. And this follow up item from after the closing: Lameman story part 2.
Mill Creek Canyon is suffering some from the number of people visiting who don't understand the fragile ecosystem that we call home. Off trail use turns the healthy soil to sand that doesn't support life, so we are going to redouble our efforts to protect off-trail areas and keep the trails maintained and easy to use.
Recently, work was started on removing some of the graffiti that mars the beauty of the canyon. See photos on the current Monthly Diary page.
I am struggling to find the best way to work with the homeless population. I am going to hire them to work with me on cleaning up area messes, but since they are scattered everywhere, I need to be ready on a moment's notice to get out and do a cleanup.
Once the weather cools off, that will be easy to do, but with the horrific heat and July humidity, it's a no go for this winter-loving woman.
As far as calls for assistance go, this month has been really active. I have spent more to date than I spent for all of June! I am going to have to do some fundraising soon. I need to have my funds last until December when we fund raise for the year.
Until August!
June 5, 2018
Great news! I was awarded a $2,000 grant from the Synergy Company so I can restart an evolved version of the Parkway Partners project. Check out these stories about it in the local papers: Times-Independent: New grant, new start for Parkway Partners and in the Moab Sun News: Homeless outreach project made possible by grant. We want to try to reach out to the homeless that are still struggling with mental health challenges and/or drug or alcohol issues. We can solve hard problems when we work together. We are very grateful to the Synergy Company.
Mill Creek Canyon has survived the crowds from Memorial Day weekend fairly well. All the trail work has paid off as there seems to be less damage this year than last. In the past, people walking off trail turned the healthy plant supporting crust to dust that nothing could grown in. Now wildflowers abound on the trail edges and brings a smile to our soul.
We are going to try to do some major trail work near the Powerdam in areas that have gotten very eroded. Stay tuned.
I gave assists last month totaling $1,612. Every request is carefully vetted. We are honored to be there when people in true need contact us. And to be there for a tool for the various law enforcement agencies. We are grateful to those who have donated to our Emergency Needs Fund. It would be empty without you!
Great news! I was awarded a $2,000 grant from the Synergy Company so I can restart an evolved version of the Parkway Partners project. Check out these stories about it in the local papers: Times-Independent: New grant, new start for Parkway Partners and in the Moab Sun News: Homeless outreach project made possible by grant. We want to try to reach out to the homeless that are still struggling with mental health challenges and/or drug or alcohol issues. We can solve hard problems when we work together. We are very grateful to the Synergy Company.
Mill Creek Canyon has survived the crowds from Memorial Day weekend fairly well. All the trail work has paid off as there seems to be less damage this year than last. In the past, people walking off trail turned the healthy plant supporting crust to dust that nothing could grown in. Now wildflowers abound on the trail edges and brings a smile to our soul.
We are going to try to do some major trail work near the Powerdam in areas that have gotten very eroded. Stay tuned.
I gave assists last month totaling $1,612. Every request is carefully vetted. We are honored to be there when people in true need contact us. And to be there for a tool for the various law enforcement agencies. We are grateful to those who have donated to our Emergency Needs Fund. It would be empty without you!
May 4, 2018
The spring wildflowers are so inspiring! Appearing as if by magic, they give us hope as their beauty sweetens our lives. But this time of year, when tourists pour into town like a heavy downpour, the land feels the impacts and it can be sad. While walking in the canyon early this morning I saw bicycle tracks. Bicycles are not permitted in the canyon, and this one did not stay on the trail. Tracks went off trail and over flowers and other vegetation. I naturalized the disturbed areas as best I could but it was very sad. It just takes one senseless act to destroy hours of work.
After 15 years of work at Potato Salad Hill, it may be the end of Common Thread/Operation Cooperation. There is one entity that is not willing to give a tiny concession to make the project work, so the future is uncertain. Stay tuned for more news on this issue. I am, quite frankly, heartbroken about this.
We are working with a variety of groups to address issues surrounding homelessness and need. We hope to have some kind of resource center available for emergency needs. We tried to accomplish this once before, years ago, but maybe the time is ripe now. Our Emergency Needs Fund has spent $12, 470.11 since I transitioned from The Salvation Army to giving assist through Moab Solutions, That was on October 1, 2017.
More later!
The spring wildflowers are so inspiring! Appearing as if by magic, they give us hope as their beauty sweetens our lives. But this time of year, when tourists pour into town like a heavy downpour, the land feels the impacts and it can be sad. While walking in the canyon early this morning I saw bicycle tracks. Bicycles are not permitted in the canyon, and this one did not stay on the trail. Tracks went off trail and over flowers and other vegetation. I naturalized the disturbed areas as best I could but it was very sad. It just takes one senseless act to destroy hours of work.
After 15 years of work at Potato Salad Hill, it may be the end of Common Thread/Operation Cooperation. There is one entity that is not willing to give a tiny concession to make the project work, so the future is uncertain. Stay tuned for more news on this issue. I am, quite frankly, heartbroken about this.
We are working with a variety of groups to address issues surrounding homelessness and need. We hope to have some kind of resource center available for emergency needs. We tried to accomplish this once before, years ago, but maybe the time is ripe now. Our Emergency Needs Fund has spent $12, 470.11 since I transitioned from The Salvation Army to giving assist through Moab Solutions, That was on October 1, 2017.
More later!
April 5, 2018
I am just starting to recover from the rigors of Common Thread, our Potato Salad Hill project. We keep an eye on the area all year, but toward "Jeep Week" we refresh rock outlines, make sure no off-road tracks exist, and get ready for the crowds that come out to enjoy the hill climb. This year we installed and maintained 12 recycle bins. 10 at PSH and a couple over at the Command Center. We pay for a free shuttle that runs continuously on Saturday, taking folks up to and back down from PSH. We have a staffed recycle station and volunteers walk through the crowds offering to take people's trash and recycling. This is year 15 of this project and it has, for the most part, served as a great example of what working together can accomplish. For more info on this project, visit our page about Common Thread/Operation Cooperation. Check out this radio piece from KZMU, our community radio station. PSH Story.
Fix Mix is what we call our little rag-tag group of paid trail workers and volunteers as we work on restoration and trail protection. We are heavily involved in Mill Creek Canyon and are seeing great results there. Work is also happening in other small spots along Sand Flats Road, at Potato Salad Hill, and in Moonflower Canyon. We would like to see Fix Mix groups all over this region, and maybe, all over the world.
The Church asked us to list volunteer opportunities on their Just Serve website. We listed a project and were recently contacted by an amazing family of 7 visiting from out of state. They heard about us at church and wanted to help do a cleanup along the in-town parkway. I met them and was super impressed by their willingness and joy. We got about half a truck load of recycling and more than our share of trash. We hope they come back and work with us again soon! Thank you all.
I am just starting to recover from the rigors of Common Thread, our Potato Salad Hill project. We keep an eye on the area all year, but toward "Jeep Week" we refresh rock outlines, make sure no off-road tracks exist, and get ready for the crowds that come out to enjoy the hill climb. This year we installed and maintained 12 recycle bins. 10 at PSH and a couple over at the Command Center. We pay for a free shuttle that runs continuously on Saturday, taking folks up to and back down from PSH. We have a staffed recycle station and volunteers walk through the crowds offering to take people's trash and recycling. This is year 15 of this project and it has, for the most part, served as a great example of what working together can accomplish. For more info on this project, visit our page about Common Thread/Operation Cooperation. Check out this radio piece from KZMU, our community radio station. PSH Story.
Fix Mix is what we call our little rag-tag group of paid trail workers and volunteers as we work on restoration and trail protection. We are heavily involved in Mill Creek Canyon and are seeing great results there. Work is also happening in other small spots along Sand Flats Road, at Potato Salad Hill, and in Moonflower Canyon. We would like to see Fix Mix groups all over this region, and maybe, all over the world.
The Church asked us to list volunteer opportunities on their Just Serve website. We listed a project and were recently contacted by an amazing family of 7 visiting from out of state. They heard about us at church and wanted to help do a cleanup along the in-town parkway. I met them and was super impressed by their willingness and joy. We got about half a truck load of recycling and more than our share of trash. We hope they come back and work with us again soon! Thank you all.
March 6, 2018
We are getting ready for the crowds over at Mill Creek, (normal springtime occurrence), and at Potato Salad Hill (for the upcoming Easter Jeep Safari). This year the EJS starts on March 24, and ends on April 1. We concentrate our efforts on the PSH area across from the Powerdam, especially on the last weekend of the EJS. We work to protect the land and the watershed, while ensuring that people can enjoy the area. We install recycling, keep trash and recycling cleaned up, interact with the crowds, and rake out off-trail tracks. We host a native plant display, offer a free shuttle from town, and have staff on hand to help with recycling. If you want to volunteer, give me a call!
Trail maintenance is ongoing at Mill Creek. Beyond the daily cleanups and minor maintenance, I have been working with trail workers to delineate trails, and have been placing brush just off the trails to encourage people to stay on the trails.
Calls for emergency assistance keep rolling in and we are trying to make our money last. We have helped 39 people so far this year, with rental assistance, utility payments, gasoline, food, lodging, appliance repair and more.
The homeless situation seems to be getting worse. Because there are no more "down at the heel" motels, we can't put people up in the winter. The very hard core are left out on the streets. Beyond that, people I have worked with for more than 10 years and have watched get sober, work, relapse, etc., seem to be in a downward spiral. We want to figure out ways to reach the almost unreachable. We are brainstorming on that often. I may try to restart the weekly meetup where I pay the homeless and other needy folks to clean up the parkway and sort recycling into my truck. It was a great way to get to know everybody's issue and how to help. We had a lot of success with that from 2008 to 2013, when everybody was housed, in rehab, or reunited with family.
Happy March everybody!
We are getting ready for the crowds over at Mill Creek, (normal springtime occurrence), and at Potato Salad Hill (for the upcoming Easter Jeep Safari). This year the EJS starts on March 24, and ends on April 1. We concentrate our efforts on the PSH area across from the Powerdam, especially on the last weekend of the EJS. We work to protect the land and the watershed, while ensuring that people can enjoy the area. We install recycling, keep trash and recycling cleaned up, interact with the crowds, and rake out off-trail tracks. We host a native plant display, offer a free shuttle from town, and have staff on hand to help with recycling. If you want to volunteer, give me a call!
Trail maintenance is ongoing at Mill Creek. Beyond the daily cleanups and minor maintenance, I have been working with trail workers to delineate trails, and have been placing brush just off the trails to encourage people to stay on the trails.
Calls for emergency assistance keep rolling in and we are trying to make our money last. We have helped 39 people so far this year, with rental assistance, utility payments, gasoline, food, lodging, appliance repair and more.
The homeless situation seems to be getting worse. Because there are no more "down at the heel" motels, we can't put people up in the winter. The very hard core are left out on the streets. Beyond that, people I have worked with for more than 10 years and have watched get sober, work, relapse, etc., seem to be in a downward spiral. We want to figure out ways to reach the almost unreachable. We are brainstorming on that often. I may try to restart the weekly meetup where I pay the homeless and other needy folks to clean up the parkway and sort recycling into my truck. It was a great way to get to know everybody's issue and how to help. We had a lot of success with that from 2008 to 2013, when everybody was housed, in rehab, or reunited with family.
Happy March everybody!
February 2, 2018
It has been unseasonably warm lately, but we may get another blast of winter before all is said and done. It is very dry here, and perhaps the first year since I have lived here where the mountains barely have any snow at all. Not good.
We are trying to get the canyon trails well marked and maintained so they survive the heavy usage they are sure to get, mainly in the spring. The parking lot is being enlarged so that the fire engines and emergency vehicles can turn around in the lot. Seven spaces are being added, and the way cars can park will be reconfigured. Beyond that, I will be going in with Jeff Adams of TerraSophia soon to remove poison ivy near the hiking trail. We will do other trail work and try to keep the canyon as protected as possible.
I had many, many calls for assistance in December and January, spending more than I intended, but happy to be able to help those with real needs. Things may slow down a bit now that folks will be getting back to work.
Potato Salad Hill recently got some protection thanks to the volunteer efforts of students from the University of Kansas, here on Alternative Winter Break. They helped us delineate new trails on the PSH side of Mill Creek and were delightful to work with.
It has been unseasonably warm lately, but we may get another blast of winter before all is said and done. It is very dry here, and perhaps the first year since I have lived here where the mountains barely have any snow at all. Not good.
We are trying to get the canyon trails well marked and maintained so they survive the heavy usage they are sure to get, mainly in the spring. The parking lot is being enlarged so that the fire engines and emergency vehicles can turn around in the lot. Seven spaces are being added, and the way cars can park will be reconfigured. Beyond that, I will be going in with Jeff Adams of TerraSophia soon to remove poison ivy near the hiking trail. We will do other trail work and try to keep the canyon as protected as possible.
I had many, many calls for assistance in December and January, spending more than I intended, but happy to be able to help those with real needs. Things may slow down a bit now that folks will be getting back to work.
Potato Salad Hill recently got some protection thanks to the volunteer efforts of students from the University of Kansas, here on Alternative Winter Break. They helped us delineate new trails on the PSH side of Mill Creek and were delightful to work with.
January 3, 2018 - Happy New Year to all!
The Fund Raiser for the Emergency Needs Fund went better than expected. It was a transition year for me, coming after 5 years of intense bell-ringing for The Salvation Army - coordinating 90 bell ringers and daily schedules. So we staffed a table at City Market a few days a week, and usually did one hour shifts. The community response was overwhelming supportive. We raised over $7,000 at the store and through mailed and/or PayPal donations. City Market manager Brendon Cameron matched funds raised by City Market employees for TSA during the "Big Ring", (something all Kroger stores are required to do) and donated the match to us! $437. Thank you Brendon! With those funds and other I had raised after transitioning from TSA, we probably have enough to last all year, IF I am careful with those funds.
Mill Creek Canyon has been covered in snow that is just starting to melt, so we will get busy with trail maintenance in the next couple of weeks. We plan to work on the Potato Salad Hill side as well. Jeep Week activities will be early this year, starting on March 24 and ending April 1, which is Easter. Although PSH is not part of the official route for Easter Jeep Safari, it is well used, especially on the days leading up to Easter. We will have staffed recycle stations, volunteers on site. a give-away and displays on the wildflowers of the area.
Other projects are going well. Reconnecting with the homeless and others in need, on the ground, is yielding some good results. I am walking the in-town parkway system as often as possible to enjoy the beauty and watch for any problems. I am looking forward to a positive and productive new year!
The Fund Raiser for the Emergency Needs Fund went better than expected. It was a transition year for me, coming after 5 years of intense bell-ringing for The Salvation Army - coordinating 90 bell ringers and daily schedules. So we staffed a table at City Market a few days a week, and usually did one hour shifts. The community response was overwhelming supportive. We raised over $7,000 at the store and through mailed and/or PayPal donations. City Market manager Brendon Cameron matched funds raised by City Market employees for TSA during the "Big Ring", (something all Kroger stores are required to do) and donated the match to us! $437. Thank you Brendon! With those funds and other I had raised after transitioning from TSA, we probably have enough to last all year, IF I am careful with those funds.
Mill Creek Canyon has been covered in snow that is just starting to melt, so we will get busy with trail maintenance in the next couple of weeks. We plan to work on the Potato Salad Hill side as well. Jeep Week activities will be early this year, starting on March 24 and ending April 1, which is Easter. Although PSH is not part of the official route for Easter Jeep Safari, it is well used, especially on the days leading up to Easter. We will have staffed recycle stations, volunteers on site. a give-away and displays on the wildflowers of the area.
Other projects are going well. Reconnecting with the homeless and others in need, on the ground, is yielding some good results. I am walking the in-town parkway system as often as possible to enjoy the beauty and watch for any problems. I am looking forward to a positive and productive new year!
December 2, 2017
The calendar says it's December, but it feels more like October or November. Starting tomorrow, the nighttime temps are supposed to go way down, but I find the warm and dry weather discouraging. We need cold and we need moisture.
I have never run into more depressed locals as I have the last few weeks. The rate of growth here - more motels, more land paved over, more and more people causing unintentional harm to this fragile environment, are making them think about leaving. This is a hard place to leave once you are here and involved with trying to protect the beauty all around us. Wish we could do things slowly and the right way, but it seems that greed is the factor and that makes me sad.
On the plus side, I have been helping some very enthusiastic volunteers remove hundreds and hundreds of weeds from the in-town parkway near the Youth Garden Project. I help haul the weeds to a site that is using them to build up the land, so there is no negative impact through burning or landfilling this waste product. We plan to extend this project to the entire parkway, hand weeding which will eventually result in many more natives and many fewer weeds. Within a few years the change should be obvious. Come join Friends of the Parkway by doing a cleanup or helping weed. We'd love to have you.
In Mill Creek Canyon we are continuing with as much trail work as possible. We have had to do repairs from very heavy rains that have damaged trails, so a little bit of catch up is involved!
The Emergency Needs Fund is coming along. I have had many calls for help through Moab Solutions' Emergency Needs Fund since I left The Salvation Army. We start fundraising at City Market on Monday and hope to do a few days a week and get enough to help people going forward. Maybe I'll see you over there!
The calendar says it's December, but it feels more like October or November. Starting tomorrow, the nighttime temps are supposed to go way down, but I find the warm and dry weather discouraging. We need cold and we need moisture.
I have never run into more depressed locals as I have the last few weeks. The rate of growth here - more motels, more land paved over, more and more people causing unintentional harm to this fragile environment, are making them think about leaving. This is a hard place to leave once you are here and involved with trying to protect the beauty all around us. Wish we could do things slowly and the right way, but it seems that greed is the factor and that makes me sad.
On the plus side, I have been helping some very enthusiastic volunteers remove hundreds and hundreds of weeds from the in-town parkway near the Youth Garden Project. I help haul the weeds to a site that is using them to build up the land, so there is no negative impact through burning or landfilling this waste product. We plan to extend this project to the entire parkway, hand weeding which will eventually result in many more natives and many fewer weeds. Within a few years the change should be obvious. Come join Friends of the Parkway by doing a cleanup or helping weed. We'd love to have you.
In Mill Creek Canyon we are continuing with as much trail work as possible. We have had to do repairs from very heavy rains that have damaged trails, so a little bit of catch up is involved!
The Emergency Needs Fund is coming along. I have had many calls for help through Moab Solutions' Emergency Needs Fund since I left The Salvation Army. We start fundraising at City Market on Monday and hope to do a few days a week and get enough to help people going forward. Maybe I'll see you over there!
November 14, 2017
Things are starting to calm down as most of the tourism winds down. We volunteered to help with the recycling at the Moab Folk Festival this year. It reminded me of all the years we installed, maintained, and then counted and sorted the recycling during the first years of this now well-established event. It was a wonderful experience then and now.
Canyon work is progressing, but it always takes longer than you want. Hauling brush to block trails, erasing social trailing, maintaining existing trails, and planning for poison ivy removal does take time. But I have had several people comment to me recently that the canyon looks beautiful. That helps me to see that we are on the right track.
Since my Emergency Needs Fund took over for my old Salvation Army work, I have given 21 assists ranging from dental work to gas, utilities to lodging and a few things in between. I will be doing occasional fund raising outside City Market after Thanksgiving so look for us there.
I have had more time to reengage with the chronically homeless community and do more patrols on the parkway system. I am able to find out what issues need attention and trying to help people into housing or rehab. I have also found a few drinking spots and a couple of abandoned camps. I clean up what I can, but need some help for things like sleeping bags that are incorporated into the soil. I will get on it soon with a helper, a shovel, and a tarp.
Enjoy the calm, cool, and (usually) quiet Moab!
Things are starting to calm down as most of the tourism winds down. We volunteered to help with the recycling at the Moab Folk Festival this year. It reminded me of all the years we installed, maintained, and then counted and sorted the recycling during the first years of this now well-established event. It was a wonderful experience then and now.
Canyon work is progressing, but it always takes longer than you want. Hauling brush to block trails, erasing social trailing, maintaining existing trails, and planning for poison ivy removal does take time. But I have had several people comment to me recently that the canyon looks beautiful. That helps me to see that we are on the right track.
Since my Emergency Needs Fund took over for my old Salvation Army work, I have given 21 assists ranging from dental work to gas, utilities to lodging and a few things in between. I will be doing occasional fund raising outside City Market after Thanksgiving so look for us there.
I have had more time to reengage with the chronically homeless community and do more patrols on the parkway system. I am able to find out what issues need attention and trying to help people into housing or rehab. I have also found a few drinking spots and a couple of abandoned camps. I clean up what I can, but need some help for things like sleeping bags that are incorporated into the soil. I will get on it soon with a helper, a shovel, and a tarp.
Enjoy the calm, cool, and (usually) quiet Moab!
October 1, 2017
Fall is here for real and it feels wonderful! I finally can go out later, longer and all different times of the day. We have been doing loads of work in the canyon and intend on going all through the autumn and winter. When spring brings thousands to the canyon, we want to make sure the trail is clear, the poison ivy is nowhere near the trail, and that the natives plants are thriving. Right now is a great time to visit. Very quiet, full of fall flowers, delicious...
I made a very big decision to resign from The Salvation Army and restart the Emergency Needs Fund that we ran from 2010 to 2012. I was honored to work for TSA, but the paperwork and fundraising time was taking me away from what I love to do - street level outreach. I will continue to help those in need the same way I have been with TSA, but will fund raise throughout the year. I hope to work more with others in the community, and law enforcement on helping those with drug use issues, homelessness, mental health challenges, and poverty. I also look forward to more time on the in-town parkway and in the canyons of the region.
Onward through the fog!
Fall is here for real and it feels wonderful! I finally can go out later, longer and all different times of the day. We have been doing loads of work in the canyon and intend on going all through the autumn and winter. When spring brings thousands to the canyon, we want to make sure the trail is clear, the poison ivy is nowhere near the trail, and that the natives plants are thriving. Right now is a great time to visit. Very quiet, full of fall flowers, delicious...
I made a very big decision to resign from The Salvation Army and restart the Emergency Needs Fund that we ran from 2010 to 2012. I was honored to work for TSA, but the paperwork and fundraising time was taking me away from what I love to do - street level outreach. I will continue to help those in need the same way I have been with TSA, but will fund raise throughout the year. I hope to work more with others in the community, and law enforcement on helping those with drug use issues, homelessness, mental health challenges, and poverty. I also look forward to more time on the in-town parkway and in the canyons of the region.
Onward through the fog!
September 2, 2017
Yesterday I removed 5 intact (and one smashed) bottles that had been tossed from the parking lot into the brush at Powerdam. I saw one bottle off in the sage - experience has taught me that where you see one, there are usually more. So after looking around a little, I found them thrown under bushes and one (luckily just one!) smashed on a rock. If you ever want to know how long it takes to pick up smashed glass, get a tarp, put a rock on it, then smash the glass and pick it up. It is a lesson in patience.
We have been picking up intact and bits of glass in the canyon, and around the region, for almost 15 years. We have worked with university students, youth groups, Moab Solutions volunteers, and others to try to remove the tens of thousands of pieces of glass smashed on the rocky ledges on either side of the creek. Just when we think we have it all, new stuff appears. And so it goes.....
Thanks to cooler temperatures and the wonderful support I get from a couple of grants specifically to be used in Mill Creek, we started some serious trail work. I have a pro trail worker who will soon be able to give me some time as we work from the parking area back to the waterfall, making the trail safe and easy to navigate. That will save the land from being trampled and protect habitat.
The damaged beaver dams are still not repaired, but there have been sightings of activity in various places in the canyon. My dearest hope is that the beavers will make a full recovery and remain unmolested so they can work their magic on the land. Stay tuned for updates on that!
Wishing everyone a very happy September!
Yesterday I removed 5 intact (and one smashed) bottles that had been tossed from the parking lot into the brush at Powerdam. I saw one bottle off in the sage - experience has taught me that where you see one, there are usually more. So after looking around a little, I found them thrown under bushes and one (luckily just one!) smashed on a rock. If you ever want to know how long it takes to pick up smashed glass, get a tarp, put a rock on it, then smash the glass and pick it up. It is a lesson in patience.
We have been picking up intact and bits of glass in the canyon, and around the region, for almost 15 years. We have worked with university students, youth groups, Moab Solutions volunteers, and others to try to remove the tens of thousands of pieces of glass smashed on the rocky ledges on either side of the creek. Just when we think we have it all, new stuff appears. And so it goes.....
Thanks to cooler temperatures and the wonderful support I get from a couple of grants specifically to be used in Mill Creek, we started some serious trail work. I have a pro trail worker who will soon be able to give me some time as we work from the parking area back to the waterfall, making the trail safe and easy to navigate. That will save the land from being trampled and protect habitat.
The damaged beaver dams are still not repaired, but there have been sightings of activity in various places in the canyon. My dearest hope is that the beavers will make a full recovery and remain unmolested so they can work their magic on the land. Stay tuned for updates on that!
Wishing everyone a very happy September!
AUGUST 2017
I just realized today, 8/12, that I forgot to update the diary for August. It is the summer stupor! Lots going on lately, and the best news is the horrific heat is starting to break. It is still hot in the day, but not as hot as it has been, and the mornings and evenings are delicious.
We have a new police chief, Jim Winder, and he is very interested in the work we have done with the homeless. He was the Sheriff in Salt Lake City for years and years, and dealt with homeless issues that we very luckily do not see here on the scale that SLC does. The Chief and I are going to walk the parkway and other places where homeless congregate so outreach can take place. I may try to restart our outreach efforts by hiring some of the guys to help us clean up.
On that front, my friend Gill and I worked 2.5 hours each last Friday and got a 40 gallon bag of recycling and about half that amount of trash.
In the canyon things have been a little too active. In mid-July someone set a fire near the parking area close to midnight. Luckily, a deputy sheriff was patrolling and called it in. We have reseeded the burn area twice now and are waiting for sprouts to appear. We have had some good soaking rains, so we are hoping for the best. Sadly, someone damaged the beaver dams, and then a flood took them out. That one act has caused untold amounts of horrible damage. We hope the beaver will eventually rebuild, but those 11 dams were creating a lush and healthy environment and now it is gone.
We plan to do a lot of trail work in the autumn and through the winter. That way, when the crowds show up in the spring, we will have things well marked and ready for the crowds.
Here is a link to a great short video about the wonderful benefits of beaver, produced by PBS. Enjoy!
I just realized today, 8/12, that I forgot to update the diary for August. It is the summer stupor! Lots going on lately, and the best news is the horrific heat is starting to break. It is still hot in the day, but not as hot as it has been, and the mornings and evenings are delicious.
We have a new police chief, Jim Winder, and he is very interested in the work we have done with the homeless. He was the Sheriff in Salt Lake City for years and years, and dealt with homeless issues that we very luckily do not see here on the scale that SLC does. The Chief and I are going to walk the parkway and other places where homeless congregate so outreach can take place. I may try to restart our outreach efforts by hiring some of the guys to help us clean up.
On that front, my friend Gill and I worked 2.5 hours each last Friday and got a 40 gallon bag of recycling and about half that amount of trash.
In the canyon things have been a little too active. In mid-July someone set a fire near the parking area close to midnight. Luckily, a deputy sheriff was patrolling and called it in. We have reseeded the burn area twice now and are waiting for sprouts to appear. We have had some good soaking rains, so we are hoping for the best. Sadly, someone damaged the beaver dams, and then a flood took them out. That one act has caused untold amounts of horrible damage. We hope the beaver will eventually rebuild, but those 11 dams were creating a lush and healthy environment and now it is gone.
We plan to do a lot of trail work in the autumn and through the winter. That way, when the crowds show up in the spring, we will have things well marked and ready for the crowds.
Here is a link to a great short video about the wonderful benefits of beaver, produced by PBS. Enjoy!
JULY 2017
The hot days are here and life changes completely for me. I get up and out to the canyon at 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. so I can enjoy the cooler temps and do a little bit of work everyday without burning up!
Trail work continues. We have been "brushing" out areas next to the trail so folks aren't as likely to step off-trail. The large number of visitors can accidentally destroy what took us months to do. The power of feet!
Next thing I need to do is cut back some branches growing into the trail. And as temps cool off, and before winter's possible freeze, I have mapped out fixes I want to make in the canyon. It will be so much easier when it is cooler all day long and there are a few less visitors. The protected areas are thriving.
Our recycling campaign is getting very close to launching. www.moabrecycles.org is the site and we will publicize it when we place ads and a guest commentary in both local papers. Wish us luck!
Work with the homeless and others in need continues as we work with agencies and law enforcement to get help to those who need it most. We answered over 26 calls for help during June. We are proud to offer an option for assistance where often there is none.
The hot days are here and life changes completely for me. I get up and out to the canyon at 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. so I can enjoy the cooler temps and do a little bit of work everyday without burning up!
Trail work continues. We have been "brushing" out areas next to the trail so folks aren't as likely to step off-trail. The large number of visitors can accidentally destroy what took us months to do. The power of feet!
Next thing I need to do is cut back some branches growing into the trail. And as temps cool off, and before winter's possible freeze, I have mapped out fixes I want to make in the canyon. It will be so much easier when it is cooler all day long and there are a few less visitors. The protected areas are thriving.
Our recycling campaign is getting very close to launching. www.moabrecycles.org is the site and we will publicize it when we place ads and a guest commentary in both local papers. Wish us luck!
Work with the homeless and others in need continues as we work with agencies and law enforcement to get help to those who need it most. We answered over 26 calls for help during June. We are proud to offer an option for assistance where often there is none.
JUNE 2017
This will be the most depressing entry so far. Tourism is completely out of control here and it is causing deep, damaging, and lasting harm to the land in and around Moab, and to the very heart and soul of what makes Moab Moab.
The canyon is very busy some days, with cars clogging the roadways and annoying the folks in the new development. Lots of people, especially those in the development, want to shut down the road into the canyon from Powerhouse Lane and move everything to Potato Salad Hill. That would be a disaster unless done very carefully and thoughtfully.
This is happening all over the region. Too many people in too fragile a place.
Mill Creek Canyon and the Potato Salad Hill side were my last refuge in a shrinking world. So many of the places I once enjoyed freely are untouchable now because of extreme crowding and off-road vehicle use. Noisy!? You can't hear the gently breeze through the leaves of the cottonwoods, or the sweet lusty songs of birds as they find each other in the sky.
I am not the only one here in Moab feeling that they will soon be forced out of a place that is so deeply loved it is impossible to separate the place from the self.
But I keep on keeping on. Lots of work in the canyon early in the morning. Six a.m. walks so I can get in and out before the crowds come. And waiting for and hoping for a cold winter, so once again, the sound of ice freezing and melting is all you hear as you walk in solitude in the canyons and the beauty of Moab.
This will be the most depressing entry so far. Tourism is completely out of control here and it is causing deep, damaging, and lasting harm to the land in and around Moab, and to the very heart and soul of what makes Moab Moab.
The canyon is very busy some days, with cars clogging the roadways and annoying the folks in the new development. Lots of people, especially those in the development, want to shut down the road into the canyon from Powerhouse Lane and move everything to Potato Salad Hill. That would be a disaster unless done very carefully and thoughtfully.
This is happening all over the region. Too many people in too fragile a place.
Mill Creek Canyon and the Potato Salad Hill side were my last refuge in a shrinking world. So many of the places I once enjoyed freely are untouchable now because of extreme crowding and off-road vehicle use. Noisy!? You can't hear the gently breeze through the leaves of the cottonwoods, or the sweet lusty songs of birds as they find each other in the sky.
I am not the only one here in Moab feeling that they will soon be forced out of a place that is so deeply loved it is impossible to separate the place from the self.
But I keep on keeping on. Lots of work in the canyon early in the morning. Six a.m. walks so I can get in and out before the crowds come. And waiting for and hoping for a cold winter, so once again, the sound of ice freezing and melting is all you hear as you walk in solitude in the canyons and the beauty of Moab.
Abby Scott 2015 on Potato Salad Hill
MAY 2017
The canyon is getting busy and so are we! I am very fortunate to have funding so I can have trail workers help me with trail maintenance, so we can make it easy for folks to get to the waterfall without creating numerous other trails. The Russian Olive removals and new native tree plantings are creating an increased beautiful feeling in the canyon. There are several beaver dams, and they are working their magic. The Great Blue Herons and ducks are often sighted near the ponds created by the beavers. Not sure if beavers are good for the world? Check out this great article. It will give you a whole new perspective on the situation.
The Clean Up Moab Facebook page is up and going. We hope to be able to devote time to that regularly and get some area-wide and regular cleanups going. Check it out on Facebook.
As soon as we get our editorial going, we will be placing ads and promoting our www.moabrecycles.org website. Have you seen it? Check it out and let us know what you think.
APRIL 2017
We have three big projects going - getting ready to kick off a community-wide recycle campaign, filming a movie and creating a Facebook page to get more folks involved in doing cleanups of the highways, byways, trails and streams all over this region, and getting ready for the 10 days of Easter Jeep Safari.
We have been working on a website for the recycle campaign. Check it out at moabrecycles.org.
MisoMedia filmed some cleanups we did in the washes of Potato Salad Hill and along the highway. It is being edited now and we will publish it as soon as we have it.
We are always looking for volunteers to help prepare Potato Salad Hill and help during the event. Give me a call if you want to volunteer! 435-259-0910.
Thanks!
MARCH 2017
March has been very active. Warm weather has brought thousands to the area as I scramble to keep up with my freecycle sites, get ready for "Jeep Week", work with those in need, and continue with trail and restoration work in Mill Creek Canyon.
A bright note! Marsha Marshall asked to volunteer with me to do cleanups. We have worked in a few areas and posted what we were doing on Facebook. We received a great response and offers to help, so we are going to create a Facebook page just for cleanup activities, photos and the like. Miso, a local filmmaker, is doing a short movie showing what a cleanup is like, and we will post that on Facebook. We hope to find lots of folks who love working directly with the earth, removing trash and recycling and restoring the natural beauty all around us. Stay tuned!!!
FEBRUARY 2017
The month is almost over as I write this! Well, half over. We have been enjoying the warmer weather and making plans for our project over at Potato Salad Hill, called Common Thread/Operation Cooperation. We have been doing cleanups with some enthusiastic new volunteers, working with the new crop of homeless, and trying to get the canyon ready for the hoards. We reported a huge panel of graffiti that we want to work on eradicating, but what we really wish is that people would just enjoy the amazing natural features of this gorgeous planet and not alter them. I think it is part of the disconnect with nature that causes this....the more we reconnect, the more we strive to restore and protect our precious earth.
JANUARY 2017
The new year brings a deeper determination to expand and refine our projects. We are currently working on a recycling/zero waste campaign and will soon launch a website with an easy-to-use guide on how to reduce, reuse, and recycle anything that is possible to recycle. We will be giving away a few six-month curbside recycling services from Green Solutions and featuring lots of local recycling heroes on the site.
We are also working toward finding all the good souls out there who do trash/recycle clean ups and try to start a monthly group cleanup somewhere in the area, while highlighting the ongoing work these individuals do.
The Salvation Army/Moab Solutions has been very busy with requests for help this month. We have had over 26 calls for assistance to date, (1-21-17), and expect a few more before the month is over. We are so grateful to the community for donating $13,198 to our red kettle during the fund raiser.
There are a few homeless out there that we know of, and we are working to find them and help them move forward in life if they so desire.
We'd love to have you join us for a cleanup!
DECEMBER 2016
This is far too busy a month to go into detail, but we are in the midst of a 29 day fund raiser for The Salvation Army at City Market, which takes a lot of time every day. We are also getting a lot of calls for assistance, and are aware of several new homeless in town. When we are done bell ringing at the red kettle, we will look for the camps and see what, if any, assistance we can offer. We have had a lot of calls regarding extremely mentally ill people and that is very challening. Mixed in with those are calls for utility payments, rent, and food.
In the meantime, we go to the canyon every morning and keep it clean while enjoying the beauty of the place. Now that the tourist season is quiet, multiple walks a day in area spots is the remedy for stress. We are so fortunate to live in such an incredibly gorgeous area.
We are also getting ready to launch our recycling campaign, aiming to get more people recycling and helping their friends and neighbors recycle. Stay tuned!
This community is so giving, we are moved by the generous spirit of those giving and those helping raise funds. So sweet!
NOVEMBER 2016
We are finishing up a few projects in Mill Creek before it gets too cold. We have had a much warmer than usual October and November (so far, I write this on the 19th!), but the cold weather is coming. We have transplanted some large grasses and laid down seed in disturbed areas, and are still erasing user-created trails. It takes months to undo what a few misplaced footsteps do in a couple of weeks.
The Salvation Army bell ringing starts the day after Thanksgiving. I have called over 50 people who rang last year to see if they want to ring again and mostly all have said "yes". We have a very caring community here which is one of the many reasons I love Moab so much.
We took the "recycled" jeep over to display during the Folk Festival. I think people enjoyed it. Its next stop, Easter Jeep Safari on Potato Salad Hill.
Still doing lots of "freecycling" and cleanups. On the 18th a few of cleaned up the parkway before the annual "Turkey Trot". We found loads (more than 20) of quart bottles of beer as well as aluminum, plastic and other smaller glass bottles. The trash was minimal in comparison to what we could recycle, which is usually the case. I fear that there are camps cropping up on certain areas of the parkway and I will go out soon with a couple of people and try to find them.
Come join us in a cleanup! We'd love to have your help and company.
OCTOBER 2016
Things are going great over in Mill Creek Canyon. I had the great fortune to meet a professional trail worker and had grant money to pay her. She has been erasing trails and fixing things for the last few weeks. We are starting on the front section, before the Powerdam, and will work our way back. It is amazing to see a pro in action. Thanks Shannon!
I went in and did some trail maintenance on the 2nd. Large limbs were down on the trail and some of the caging has to be repaired around some of the cottonwoods, but things otherwise aren't too damaged.
We had a very successful Volunteer Vacation with the Solihull Society in late September. It was a very windy day, but 7 of us managed to pick up almost 500 containers from just over a mile of roadway. We started at the Ken's Lake turnoff and headed to the mountains. A couple of folks who came late headed down to Ken's Lake, and I drove the truck to go collect full bucket loads of trash and recycling. The trash amounted to less than a quarter bag, while the recycling was at least two bags full! See the photo of the finished artwork created by the volunteers, with the unsorted recycling in front of it at the top of this page.
September 2016
This month is dedicated to Carli. She left this world on September 3. A constant companion, along with Chevy and Rascal, the three of us spent some part of everyday in Mill Creek. In fact, if not for getting these dogs off the chain, I never would have started going to the canyon every day. It was their need to run and explore after being chained up for a year that took me there. That I already was in love with removing trash and recycling from the land was a perfect fit for all the littered items I found there. We all walked together and I would pick up trash and recycling from the Tea Cup to the Waterfall and everywhere in between. I eventually started doing trail work, removing weeds, and working with the BLM to protect the place. Our formal agreement to run the Mill Creek Partnership came about in February of 2011.
In a very real sense, all the successes over at Mill Creek are because of the dogs. I honor Carli's memory every time I visit the canyon.
We have a volunteer vacation project coming up later in the month. We will be removing the recycling and trash from Spanish Valley Drive headed toward the loop road with an off-road group called The Solihull Society. But this cleanup has a twist. We will be stringing together and/or making some other piece of art to show the enormous numbers of recyclable items left on our roadways. This is something I have long wanted to do and was inspired by a fellow cleanup artist to attempt this. I will be calling out to local artists and other volunteers so we can really try to demonstrate just how bad this problem is, and how instructive it can be. For example, in a recent cleanup we picked up over 100 aluminum cans on Spanish Valley Drive just past Packard's. Most of those were alcohol containers. Not cool.
August 2016
July was hot, busy, and challenging, but the heat promises to break and we are re-energized to do all we can to help heal the earth and help people in need.
The Salvation Army unit I volunteer for had over 30 calls in July. Some calls are easy to handle, others can be very complex. Moab Solutions, in partnership with The Salvation Army, is working on getting our 18th person into rehabilitation, and are happy about that.
In fact, we just heard from a man who we sent to rehab twice! He graduated for the second time seven months ago. He is living in Denver and volunteers to help the homeless, works as a chef, and is enrolling in writing classes. Congrats Pat!
We are not happy about the state of Mill Creek Canyon and what we feel is the new normal all over this region. There are so many visitors that the shear numbers are having a very negative impact on the land. In Mill Creek, there are user-created trails off of user-created trails off of user-created trails. We can barely keep up with trying to brush them out and naturalize them, but we are hoping that Trail Mix will work with us in a massive autumn work party to get the front areas of the canyon healed up. Then I need to get working on the trail to the left hand waterfall and cut back brush so that the main trail is clear as a bell. That helps prevent user-created trails somewhat...
In the meantime, we are working on presenting an idea for a pilot project on the in-town parkway system to the City. We want to go herbicide free on parkway lands and are picking a small area to do this first pilot project. If it all works out, and the City approves it, we hope to expand the techniques all over the parkway and have an extremely healthy and vibrant ecosystem along the creek. Jeff Adams of Terrasophia has been kind enough to take the lead on this. Moab Solutions, which celebrates 14 years of Friends of the Parkway, is excited to be involved in this wonderful project.
We'd love to hear from you! Do you have ideas for projects or would you like to volunteer with us? Go to the "Contact Us" page.
July 2016
Work continues in Mill Creek Canyon, but the number of visitors is so great that lots of damage is occurring. We have been working to naturalize and fill in user created trails which are appearing as fast as we try to rehab them! Weeding continues as does the never ending job of removing littered trash and recycling. We are trying to figure out ways to encourage the "pack it in, pack it out" mentality and especially the "Leave No Trace" philosophy. Send us your ideas!
FreeCycling sites are filling with recycling almost as fast as I can empty them. There is a deep satisfaction that comes from realizing that you are part of keeping hundreds and hundreds of recyclable containers from the landfill, but there is also a lot of sadness about the huge problem of wasting.
We are working on an awareness campaign to bring the community up-to-date on the ever-changing landscape of recycling. We want to encourage more people to step up their recycling or to start recycling. Stay tuned for that!
June 2016
Work continues in Mill Creek even as things heat up fast! We are doing lots of weeding - in the parking area, on the steps down to the lower trail off the parking area, and then down the canyon to the Powerdam and beyond. Visitors are flocking to the canyon, so many over Memorial Day weekend that the cars were parked all the way down Powerhouse Lane to Mill Creek Drive! A few of us want to look for some solutions that would keep things open for people to enjoy while protecting this fragile gem of a place. Stay tuned!
Through our project, Volunteer Vacation, we will be working with a group from St. George arriving here on June 8th. Since there will be 25 people in total, we will split into a couple of groups in order to remove trash and recycling from the in-town Parkway system. We appreciate it when visitors want to give back. And many hands.....
Recycling Advocacy continues. I have been servicing our "FreeCycle" sites all over town and it is challenging, but rewarding to think of all the things that get a chance to be remade into something usable instead of being sent on a one-way trip to the landfill!
Also, we are reworking the Green Guide because so much of the information is dated. We are going to use this opportunity to take the guide well beyond recycling, as we feel that the worst impacts of climate disruption need to be dealt with by as many of us as possible, as much of the time as we can. We will be calling out for your ideas to include in the guide.
MAY 2016
As we head into spring, work abounds in the canyon and along the in-town parkway system. We are holding work parties in Mill Creek Canyon, and I have some folks doing regular cleanups from the parking area to left hand waterfall, including the tea cup area. Once the hot weather comes, we find at least a diaper a day, along with all the other trash and recycling. The canyon is looking good. Self seeding with some natives. We have loads to do to get the Ravenna Grass out, but keeping the seed stalks cut helps reduce their spread.
Earth Day on the Parkway was great. The lower grades of the Moab Charter School came to help with the cleanup and they got into all the nooks and crannies that is a bit more challenging for us older folks. It was wonderful to see their energy and enthusiasm. Thanks Moab Charter School!
We continue the work with the homeless and others in need. We feel that we are making progress on some fronts, as organizations work together to try to meet the needs, and on the other hand, we just don't have the services here that some people require. Maybe some day!
Enjoy the slide show below, from Potato Salad Hill, March 2016. (The slideshow is on the current monthly diary page.)
APRIL 2016
BEST YEAR EVER! Thanks to a confluence of good timing, excellent cooperation with the Grand County Sheriff's office, money donated by ORBA, the Off-Road Business Association, skilled staff and the weather, we had the best year ever on Potato Salad Hill. There was almost no damage to the land outside the rock-outlined areas, and almost ever recyclable container was recycled. It was a bit on the cool side, and windy, so there weren't as many people out there as usual, but it was still jam-packed. Huge thanks to Linda Whitham, Abby Scott, Hillary Mead, Jane Butter, Carey Jones and Peter Stevens, for paid and volunteer work, prep and cleanup. I am excited to see this model project enjoy such success after 12 years of efforts. We are looking forward to an even better 2017!
FRIENDS OF THE PARKWAY This project has been in operation since August of 2004. I have been out and about walking areas of the parkway and doing cleanups, whenever possible and plan to look for more people who want to do occasional cleanups along our beautiful Mill Creek and Pack Creek parkway system.
PEOPLE IN NEED Through Moab Solutions' work with The Salvation Army, we helped over 30 people in March. We handled 16 cases, some single men, single women, and families. We are on call 24/7 and are honored to be available to help those with dire needs. The assists we gave in March ranged from car repair for a single parent, to bus tickets for stranded people, to food for a family burnt out of their home, and more.
MARCH 2016
The work is underway at Potato Salad Hill. I was just out there with an assistant, refreshing rock outlines, so people can easily see where the trail is. I will be out there fairly often from now until after Easter Sunday. We will be refreshing rock outlines, raking out any off-trail tracks, and removing any trash and recycling we come upon.
We are also preparing for our first work party in Mill Creek Canyon. Visit the Mill Creek Partnership website to learn more about our ongoing work there.
I am about to get my second Easter Seals trainee. Easter Seals pays the salary for a qualified person I can train on a variety of jobs, in the hope that the person will find satisfying employment. This is what happened with the first trainee I was fortunate enough to work with, and I hope it will be the same with the second! I will be teaching my trainee how to maintain recycle systems, search out camps on the in-town parkway so we can do outreach and offer assistance, and also do cleanups on the parkway and other areas around Moab.
FEBRUARY 2016
We got great news! We will be receiving a $2,000 donation from ORBA, the Off-Road Business Association to be used for our work at Potato Salad Hill. It will go toward the shuttle, ads for the shuttle, paid staff, and other essentials. We'd love your help with cleanups during the event, or prep work - like refreshing the rock outlines, raking out errant off-trail tracks, and the like, leading into the event.
Click here for more info on Common Thread.
We are out and about again on the in-town parkway system, trying to find any lost trash and recycling and give it a better home. We'd love your help there too. It is so beautiful to walk along the creek and see the deer, wild turkeys, and the occasional fox. The sounds of birds singing and water flowing makes for a great sound experience.
JANUARY 2016
LOTS GOING ON even in the dead of a cold winter. After catching up with life (and paperwork) after the intensity of fund raising for The Salvation Army, I will start gearing up for Easter Jeep Safari, which starts 10 days before Easter. That is on March 27 this year. We need to refresh the rock outlines, rake out tracks, make plans for the free shuttle system, add to our displays, and get the recycle station bins and signs ready. After 12 years of working out at Potato Salad Hill we are seeing very positive results as far as land saved from damage, recycling reclaimed, and trash removed from the gorgeous landscape.
At just about the same time, the Mill Creek Partnership will go through the canyon and make sure the trail from the parking area to left hand waterfall is clear and easy to follow.
I will be going out at the end of the month to do the yearly Point in Time count, something I have done for the last few years. The PIT is a nationwide count of homeless, based on where someone slept the night of January 27. I will go out three mornings in a row looking for people to count. I count the unsheltered homeless. I start contacting law enforcement and calling out to the community to see if people know where there are homeless.
Come join us for some fun at Potato Salad Hill!
DECEMBER 2015
Many challenges this month - I am in the midst of 28 days of fund raising for The Salvation Army Unit I volunteer for. The money that goes in the red kettle, and any private donations and grants we receive, must last us all year. We have been getting more calls each year, and we want to be able to help everybody who truly needs help.
We are amazed at the generous spirit that lives in this community. We usually raise over $10,000 in that kettle, and, so far, have grants and private donations totaling $6,000. Wish us luck!
Moab Solutions is preparing to fund raise for ourselves. We really want to raise enough for me to be able to hire an assistant so that our projects can continue on past my time with the organization. Board members Mary and O'B O'Brien are working with me on a fund raising letter and Moab Solutions fact sheet.
Easter Jeep Safari is March 19th to 27th this year, so I have to get busy soon, repairing the rock outlines at Potato Salad Hill (PSH), meeting with the working group, fund raising for the paid staff that is on-site Friday and Saturday evenings, and for the free shuttle service to the "hill". Last year we had a wonderful response to our efforts, and we look forward to doing even more this year. Check out our Programs and Projects page to learn more!
NOVEMBER 2015
October went by so fast it was near the end of the month when I realized I hadn't done an entry for the month!
Sad news in the homeless community in late October. Dani Miller, a woman I worked with off and on for years, passed away in a jail cell in Cortez, CO. She had been living over in Cortez for the past year or so. Dani was very proud of the work she did with us on here in Moab on cleanups and recycling. Once she moved, she called me every few weeks to let me know what was going on and to tell me about her cleanup and recycling efforts in Cortez. She had a tragic life in many ways and we ask you to keep a good thought for Dani.
We kept busy in the canyon cutting seed heads off the Ravenna Grasses, most of which are along the banks of the creek, so we had to stand in water a lot. Sadly, my cell phone fell in the water during one outing but I was able to have it repaired!
A super volunteer, Sandy Hultgren, helped me cut seed heads on dozens of the grasses located in town. We got permission from the county to work on the plants on in town county buildings. Sandy also cut back, then dug up, a grass that had planted itself in my yard. I will keep an eye on the site to see if the plant tries to grow back, but the non-herbicide approach made me happy!
In case you are wondering, Ravenna Grass is an imported, highly invasive and competitive grass that grows right over native plants and along the banks of waterways. It is classified as a weed in many states and efforts are being made to eradicate this "alien invader" before it causes even more harm. If you would like more information about this plant, visit the home page of the Mill Creek Partnership. There is a brochure there that gives a lot more information about this grass.
The beaver dams have been holding and doing the great work they do to improve the environment around them. The beaver even helped out a bit by cutting down some Russian Olives. One of my board members remarked that we were getting "free labor" out of the beavers! To learn more about the absolutely great work beaver do, check out this article written by board member Mary O'Brien.
This month we have to do some reveg work around where a bathroom was installed near the parking area. We still have seed heads to cut, and user created trails to rehab, but the canyon is returning to a quiet time, and it is absolutely lovely to be there.
I am continuing public recycling in several places, and working with installations in agencies. I just need to learn how to present the WHY recycling is so important. Even though reducing over recycling, recycling over landfilling is how I like to see it.
We are getting ready to coordinate the annual fundraiser for The Salvation Army. I volunteer with the unit and it is when we raise most of the money we use to help hundreds in need throughout the year.
SEPTEMBER 2015
This month is zipping by! Cooler mornings and evenings make the hot afternoons tolerable, and soon enough my favorite time of year for hiking, winter, will be upon us.
In the meantime, work continues in the canyon. We are cutting seed heads on Ravenna Grass left and right, keeping the canyon clean from the road up to the parking area to the left hand waterfall, and keeping the trails clear and easy to navigate.
I want to start doing lots of cleanups along Mill Creek Drive, and Spanish Valley Drive, up to the mountains. There are truckloads of recycling and trash along the roads. It is hard to see until you get out and walk - that is when you see the staggering amounts.
We continue working with the homeless and people in need through Moab Solutions and through my volunteer work with The Salvation Army. It is a never ending process.
If you'd like to join me for a peaceful roadside cleanup, give me a call! 435-401-4685. If you want to learn more about Ravenna Grass and how to help curb its invasion of the area, go to
http://www.millcreekpartnership.net/ and click on the photo of Ravenna Grass on the home page.
AUGUST 2015
Lots of work going on in the canyon and it is looking good. My leg has healed enough that I can finally (!) go back to the waterfall area. We will get to the poison ivy the week of the 20th, and start cutting the seed stalks off Ravenna Grass soon after that.
I took a little break from the canyon and went out to Ken's Lake the other day. It was the definition of peaceful. Very quiet, gorgeous views. I did get a huge bag of dog waste, and little bits and pieces of other left behind items. It was very refreshing.
I trained some of the folks at The InterAct Club on how to maintain their newly installed recycle system. People are really starting to get it and the bins are full of recycling that are then taken to the outside recycle station. When those bins get near full club members will take the recycling up to the Community Recycling Center. Great job, InterAct!
One of the formerly homeless men I started working with in 2008 has been in housing since last December and now has a full-time job. He pays his own way, with pride. I engage him to patrol the parkway looking for camps and recycling/trash about once a week. I will soon be back on my beloved parkway, scrambling through the bushes and climbing down the hillsides to get that aluminum can or fast food wrapper.
I'd love to meet you there and do a cleanup! Call me.
JULY 2015
As my leg heals work heats up in the canyon and elsewhere. We got some funding from BLM to have paid crews work with volunteers in the canyon. We are busy maintaining the main trail from the parking area to the waterfall (lots of pruning!) and closing off user-created trails. The poison ivy came back with a vengeance, so we hope to remove that from along the trail very soon. We are also going to collect native seeds from canyon plants and spread them as we remove tumbleweeds and other weeds.
We have sent our 14th and 15th to rehab in Denver. One is a repeat customer. He had completed the program (six months), stayed in Denver in a sober living house, but relapsed when he came back here. He was very eager to get back on the sober track, so wish him well!
I lost my Easter Seals trainee, but for a great reason. He got a full-time job doing something he loves! So I am back to patrolling the parkway alone, and maintaining a bunch of recycle bins in a lot of places around town.
MARCH 2015
Common Thread/Operation Cooperation: March 28-April 5, 2015
Things are moving along in our efforts at Potato Salad Hill (PSH). during "Jeep Week," which will take place from March 28 until Easter Sunday, April 5. This year we are expanding our manned recycle station and informational display area to include a free shuttle service from a nearby location to PSH. This will go a long way toward protecting natural areas in this fragile desert environment while allowing full enjoyment of the areas open for hill climbing.
We can always use a few more volunteers! Read more about the Common Thread/Operation Cooperation Project, or reach us through our Contact us page.
Mill Creek Canyon
We will be scheduling our first work party soon. There are a couple of user-created trails we need to close and make sure the main trail to the waterfall is clear. We will install a few new signs, and begin removing weeds so the native plants can thrive.
There are at least five new beaver dams within a half mile of the parking area. They create wonderful habitat for other creatures as the ponds in the stream they nourish the banks. I hope they survive the spring flooding.
Check out the Mill Creek Partnership website for more information about the work we are doing in the canyon.
Recycling and Cleanups
The recently installed recycle system at the InterAct Club is going very well. Now that it has been in place for awhile, we are going to do a training with staff, and then the clients, to explain why recycling matters, and what items can be recycled. We also want to thank them for taking the time to care about recycling.
Warmer weather found us out and about in places where we discovered massive abandoned homeless camps and/or drinking spots. I have been working with a couple of community service workers to get them cleaned up and make sure all the recycling goes where it is supposed to - the Community Recycle Center.
Helping people in need
We are continuing street level outreach trying to get everybody the help they need. Very few people had to stay out during this - thankfully mild - winter. I recently had a call from a man about to graduate from the six month rehab in Denver, CO. He is so happy to be sober and is looking forward to a vibrant life. We wish him all the best.
Thanks to all the people working together to help those in need!
The canyon is getting busy and so are we! I am very fortunate to have funding so I can have trail workers help me with trail maintenance, so we can make it easy for folks to get to the waterfall without creating numerous other trails. The Russian Olive removals and new native tree plantings are creating an increased beautiful feeling in the canyon. There are several beaver dams, and they are working their magic. The Great Blue Herons and ducks are often sighted near the ponds created by the beavers. Not sure if beavers are good for the world? Check out this great article. It will give you a whole new perspective on the situation.
The Clean Up Moab Facebook page is up and going. We hope to be able to devote time to that regularly and get some area-wide and regular cleanups going. Check it out on Facebook.
As soon as we get our editorial going, we will be placing ads and promoting our www.moabrecycles.org website. Have you seen it? Check it out and let us know what you think.
APRIL 2017
We have three big projects going - getting ready to kick off a community-wide recycle campaign, filming a movie and creating a Facebook page to get more folks involved in doing cleanups of the highways, byways, trails and streams all over this region, and getting ready for the 10 days of Easter Jeep Safari.
We have been working on a website for the recycle campaign. Check it out at moabrecycles.org.
MisoMedia filmed some cleanups we did in the washes of Potato Salad Hill and along the highway. It is being edited now and we will publish it as soon as we have it.
We are always looking for volunteers to help prepare Potato Salad Hill and help during the event. Give me a call if you want to volunteer! 435-259-0910.
Thanks!
MARCH 2017
March has been very active. Warm weather has brought thousands to the area as I scramble to keep up with my freecycle sites, get ready for "Jeep Week", work with those in need, and continue with trail and restoration work in Mill Creek Canyon.
A bright note! Marsha Marshall asked to volunteer with me to do cleanups. We have worked in a few areas and posted what we were doing on Facebook. We received a great response and offers to help, so we are going to create a Facebook page just for cleanup activities, photos and the like. Miso, a local filmmaker, is doing a short movie showing what a cleanup is like, and we will post that on Facebook. We hope to find lots of folks who love working directly with the earth, removing trash and recycling and restoring the natural beauty all around us. Stay tuned!!!
FEBRUARY 2017
The month is almost over as I write this! Well, half over. We have been enjoying the warmer weather and making plans for our project over at Potato Salad Hill, called Common Thread/Operation Cooperation. We have been doing cleanups with some enthusiastic new volunteers, working with the new crop of homeless, and trying to get the canyon ready for the hoards. We reported a huge panel of graffiti that we want to work on eradicating, but what we really wish is that people would just enjoy the amazing natural features of this gorgeous planet and not alter them. I think it is part of the disconnect with nature that causes this....the more we reconnect, the more we strive to restore and protect our precious earth.
JANUARY 2017
The new year brings a deeper determination to expand and refine our projects. We are currently working on a recycling/zero waste campaign and will soon launch a website with an easy-to-use guide on how to reduce, reuse, and recycle anything that is possible to recycle. We will be giving away a few six-month curbside recycling services from Green Solutions and featuring lots of local recycling heroes on the site.
We are also working toward finding all the good souls out there who do trash/recycle clean ups and try to start a monthly group cleanup somewhere in the area, while highlighting the ongoing work these individuals do.
The Salvation Army/Moab Solutions has been very busy with requests for help this month. We have had over 26 calls for assistance to date, (1-21-17), and expect a few more before the month is over. We are so grateful to the community for donating $13,198 to our red kettle during the fund raiser.
There are a few homeless out there that we know of, and we are working to find them and help them move forward in life if they so desire.
We'd love to have you join us for a cleanup!
DECEMBER 2016
This is far too busy a month to go into detail, but we are in the midst of a 29 day fund raiser for The Salvation Army at City Market, which takes a lot of time every day. We are also getting a lot of calls for assistance, and are aware of several new homeless in town. When we are done bell ringing at the red kettle, we will look for the camps and see what, if any, assistance we can offer. We have had a lot of calls regarding extremely mentally ill people and that is very challening. Mixed in with those are calls for utility payments, rent, and food.
In the meantime, we go to the canyon every morning and keep it clean while enjoying the beauty of the place. Now that the tourist season is quiet, multiple walks a day in area spots is the remedy for stress. We are so fortunate to live in such an incredibly gorgeous area.
We are also getting ready to launch our recycling campaign, aiming to get more people recycling and helping their friends and neighbors recycle. Stay tuned!
This community is so giving, we are moved by the generous spirit of those giving and those helping raise funds. So sweet!
NOVEMBER 2016
We are finishing up a few projects in Mill Creek before it gets too cold. We have had a much warmer than usual October and November (so far, I write this on the 19th!), but the cold weather is coming. We have transplanted some large grasses and laid down seed in disturbed areas, and are still erasing user-created trails. It takes months to undo what a few misplaced footsteps do in a couple of weeks.
The Salvation Army bell ringing starts the day after Thanksgiving. I have called over 50 people who rang last year to see if they want to ring again and mostly all have said "yes". We have a very caring community here which is one of the many reasons I love Moab so much.
We took the "recycled" jeep over to display during the Folk Festival. I think people enjoyed it. Its next stop, Easter Jeep Safari on Potato Salad Hill.
Still doing lots of "freecycling" and cleanups. On the 18th a few of cleaned up the parkway before the annual "Turkey Trot". We found loads (more than 20) of quart bottles of beer as well as aluminum, plastic and other smaller glass bottles. The trash was minimal in comparison to what we could recycle, which is usually the case. I fear that there are camps cropping up on certain areas of the parkway and I will go out soon with a couple of people and try to find them.
Come join us in a cleanup! We'd love to have your help and company.
OCTOBER 2016
Things are going great over in Mill Creek Canyon. I had the great fortune to meet a professional trail worker and had grant money to pay her. She has been erasing trails and fixing things for the last few weeks. We are starting on the front section, before the Powerdam, and will work our way back. It is amazing to see a pro in action. Thanks Shannon!
I went in and did some trail maintenance on the 2nd. Large limbs were down on the trail and some of the caging has to be repaired around some of the cottonwoods, but things otherwise aren't too damaged.
We had a very successful Volunteer Vacation with the Solihull Society in late September. It was a very windy day, but 7 of us managed to pick up almost 500 containers from just over a mile of roadway. We started at the Ken's Lake turnoff and headed to the mountains. A couple of folks who came late headed down to Ken's Lake, and I drove the truck to go collect full bucket loads of trash and recycling. The trash amounted to less than a quarter bag, while the recycling was at least two bags full! See the photo of the finished artwork created by the volunteers, with the unsorted recycling in front of it at the top of this page.
September 2016
This month is dedicated to Carli. She left this world on September 3. A constant companion, along with Chevy and Rascal, the three of us spent some part of everyday in Mill Creek. In fact, if not for getting these dogs off the chain, I never would have started going to the canyon every day. It was their need to run and explore after being chained up for a year that took me there. That I already was in love with removing trash and recycling from the land was a perfect fit for all the littered items I found there. We all walked together and I would pick up trash and recycling from the Tea Cup to the Waterfall and everywhere in between. I eventually started doing trail work, removing weeds, and working with the BLM to protect the place. Our formal agreement to run the Mill Creek Partnership came about in February of 2011.
In a very real sense, all the successes over at Mill Creek are because of the dogs. I honor Carli's memory every time I visit the canyon.
We have a volunteer vacation project coming up later in the month. We will be removing the recycling and trash from Spanish Valley Drive headed toward the loop road with an off-road group called The Solihull Society. But this cleanup has a twist. We will be stringing together and/or making some other piece of art to show the enormous numbers of recyclable items left on our roadways. This is something I have long wanted to do and was inspired by a fellow cleanup artist to attempt this. I will be calling out to local artists and other volunteers so we can really try to demonstrate just how bad this problem is, and how instructive it can be. For example, in a recent cleanup we picked up over 100 aluminum cans on Spanish Valley Drive just past Packard's. Most of those were alcohol containers. Not cool.
August 2016
July was hot, busy, and challenging, but the heat promises to break and we are re-energized to do all we can to help heal the earth and help people in need.
The Salvation Army unit I volunteer for had over 30 calls in July. Some calls are easy to handle, others can be very complex. Moab Solutions, in partnership with The Salvation Army, is working on getting our 18th person into rehabilitation, and are happy about that.
In fact, we just heard from a man who we sent to rehab twice! He graduated for the second time seven months ago. He is living in Denver and volunteers to help the homeless, works as a chef, and is enrolling in writing classes. Congrats Pat!
We are not happy about the state of Mill Creek Canyon and what we feel is the new normal all over this region. There are so many visitors that the shear numbers are having a very negative impact on the land. In Mill Creek, there are user-created trails off of user-created trails off of user-created trails. We can barely keep up with trying to brush them out and naturalize them, but we are hoping that Trail Mix will work with us in a massive autumn work party to get the front areas of the canyon healed up. Then I need to get working on the trail to the left hand waterfall and cut back brush so that the main trail is clear as a bell. That helps prevent user-created trails somewhat...
In the meantime, we are working on presenting an idea for a pilot project on the in-town parkway system to the City. We want to go herbicide free on parkway lands and are picking a small area to do this first pilot project. If it all works out, and the City approves it, we hope to expand the techniques all over the parkway and have an extremely healthy and vibrant ecosystem along the creek. Jeff Adams of Terrasophia has been kind enough to take the lead on this. Moab Solutions, which celebrates 14 years of Friends of the Parkway, is excited to be involved in this wonderful project.
We'd love to hear from you! Do you have ideas for projects or would you like to volunteer with us? Go to the "Contact Us" page.
July 2016
Work continues in Mill Creek Canyon, but the number of visitors is so great that lots of damage is occurring. We have been working to naturalize and fill in user created trails which are appearing as fast as we try to rehab them! Weeding continues as does the never ending job of removing littered trash and recycling. We are trying to figure out ways to encourage the "pack it in, pack it out" mentality and especially the "Leave No Trace" philosophy. Send us your ideas!
FreeCycling sites are filling with recycling almost as fast as I can empty them. There is a deep satisfaction that comes from realizing that you are part of keeping hundreds and hundreds of recyclable containers from the landfill, but there is also a lot of sadness about the huge problem of wasting.
We are working on an awareness campaign to bring the community up-to-date on the ever-changing landscape of recycling. We want to encourage more people to step up their recycling or to start recycling. Stay tuned for that!
June 2016
Work continues in Mill Creek even as things heat up fast! We are doing lots of weeding - in the parking area, on the steps down to the lower trail off the parking area, and then down the canyon to the Powerdam and beyond. Visitors are flocking to the canyon, so many over Memorial Day weekend that the cars were parked all the way down Powerhouse Lane to Mill Creek Drive! A few of us want to look for some solutions that would keep things open for people to enjoy while protecting this fragile gem of a place. Stay tuned!
Through our project, Volunteer Vacation, we will be working with a group from St. George arriving here on June 8th. Since there will be 25 people in total, we will split into a couple of groups in order to remove trash and recycling from the in-town Parkway system. We appreciate it when visitors want to give back. And many hands.....
Recycling Advocacy continues. I have been servicing our "FreeCycle" sites all over town and it is challenging, but rewarding to think of all the things that get a chance to be remade into something usable instead of being sent on a one-way trip to the landfill!
Also, we are reworking the Green Guide because so much of the information is dated. We are going to use this opportunity to take the guide well beyond recycling, as we feel that the worst impacts of climate disruption need to be dealt with by as many of us as possible, as much of the time as we can. We will be calling out for your ideas to include in the guide.
MAY 2016
As we head into spring, work abounds in the canyon and along the in-town parkway system. We are holding work parties in Mill Creek Canyon, and I have some folks doing regular cleanups from the parking area to left hand waterfall, including the tea cup area. Once the hot weather comes, we find at least a diaper a day, along with all the other trash and recycling. The canyon is looking good. Self seeding with some natives. We have loads to do to get the Ravenna Grass out, but keeping the seed stalks cut helps reduce their spread.
Earth Day on the Parkway was great. The lower grades of the Moab Charter School came to help with the cleanup and they got into all the nooks and crannies that is a bit more challenging for us older folks. It was wonderful to see their energy and enthusiasm. Thanks Moab Charter School!
We continue the work with the homeless and others in need. We feel that we are making progress on some fronts, as organizations work together to try to meet the needs, and on the other hand, we just don't have the services here that some people require. Maybe some day!
Enjoy the slide show below, from Potato Salad Hill, March 2016. (The slideshow is on the current monthly diary page.)
APRIL 2016
BEST YEAR EVER! Thanks to a confluence of good timing, excellent cooperation with the Grand County Sheriff's office, money donated by ORBA, the Off-Road Business Association, skilled staff and the weather, we had the best year ever on Potato Salad Hill. There was almost no damage to the land outside the rock-outlined areas, and almost ever recyclable container was recycled. It was a bit on the cool side, and windy, so there weren't as many people out there as usual, but it was still jam-packed. Huge thanks to Linda Whitham, Abby Scott, Hillary Mead, Jane Butter, Carey Jones and Peter Stevens, for paid and volunteer work, prep and cleanup. I am excited to see this model project enjoy such success after 12 years of efforts. We are looking forward to an even better 2017!
FRIENDS OF THE PARKWAY This project has been in operation since August of 2004. I have been out and about walking areas of the parkway and doing cleanups, whenever possible and plan to look for more people who want to do occasional cleanups along our beautiful Mill Creek and Pack Creek parkway system.
PEOPLE IN NEED Through Moab Solutions' work with The Salvation Army, we helped over 30 people in March. We handled 16 cases, some single men, single women, and families. We are on call 24/7 and are honored to be available to help those with dire needs. The assists we gave in March ranged from car repair for a single parent, to bus tickets for stranded people, to food for a family burnt out of their home, and more.
MARCH 2016
The work is underway at Potato Salad Hill. I was just out there with an assistant, refreshing rock outlines, so people can easily see where the trail is. I will be out there fairly often from now until after Easter Sunday. We will be refreshing rock outlines, raking out any off-trail tracks, and removing any trash and recycling we come upon.
We are also preparing for our first work party in Mill Creek Canyon. Visit the Mill Creek Partnership website to learn more about our ongoing work there.
I am about to get my second Easter Seals trainee. Easter Seals pays the salary for a qualified person I can train on a variety of jobs, in the hope that the person will find satisfying employment. This is what happened with the first trainee I was fortunate enough to work with, and I hope it will be the same with the second! I will be teaching my trainee how to maintain recycle systems, search out camps on the in-town parkway so we can do outreach and offer assistance, and also do cleanups on the parkway and other areas around Moab.
FEBRUARY 2016
We got great news! We will be receiving a $2,000 donation from ORBA, the Off-Road Business Association to be used for our work at Potato Salad Hill. It will go toward the shuttle, ads for the shuttle, paid staff, and other essentials. We'd love your help with cleanups during the event, or prep work - like refreshing the rock outlines, raking out errant off-trail tracks, and the like, leading into the event.
Click here for more info on Common Thread.
We are out and about again on the in-town parkway system, trying to find any lost trash and recycling and give it a better home. We'd love your help there too. It is so beautiful to walk along the creek and see the deer, wild turkeys, and the occasional fox. The sounds of birds singing and water flowing makes for a great sound experience.
JANUARY 2016
LOTS GOING ON even in the dead of a cold winter. After catching up with life (and paperwork) after the intensity of fund raising for The Salvation Army, I will start gearing up for Easter Jeep Safari, which starts 10 days before Easter. That is on March 27 this year. We need to refresh the rock outlines, rake out tracks, make plans for the free shuttle system, add to our displays, and get the recycle station bins and signs ready. After 12 years of working out at Potato Salad Hill we are seeing very positive results as far as land saved from damage, recycling reclaimed, and trash removed from the gorgeous landscape.
At just about the same time, the Mill Creek Partnership will go through the canyon and make sure the trail from the parking area to left hand waterfall is clear and easy to follow.
I will be going out at the end of the month to do the yearly Point in Time count, something I have done for the last few years. The PIT is a nationwide count of homeless, based on where someone slept the night of January 27. I will go out three mornings in a row looking for people to count. I count the unsheltered homeless. I start contacting law enforcement and calling out to the community to see if people know where there are homeless.
Come join us for some fun at Potato Salad Hill!
DECEMBER 2015
Many challenges this month - I am in the midst of 28 days of fund raising for The Salvation Army Unit I volunteer for. The money that goes in the red kettle, and any private donations and grants we receive, must last us all year. We have been getting more calls each year, and we want to be able to help everybody who truly needs help.
We are amazed at the generous spirit that lives in this community. We usually raise over $10,000 in that kettle, and, so far, have grants and private donations totaling $6,000. Wish us luck!
Moab Solutions is preparing to fund raise for ourselves. We really want to raise enough for me to be able to hire an assistant so that our projects can continue on past my time with the organization. Board members Mary and O'B O'Brien are working with me on a fund raising letter and Moab Solutions fact sheet.
Easter Jeep Safari is March 19th to 27th this year, so I have to get busy soon, repairing the rock outlines at Potato Salad Hill (PSH), meeting with the working group, fund raising for the paid staff that is on-site Friday and Saturday evenings, and for the free shuttle service to the "hill". Last year we had a wonderful response to our efforts, and we look forward to doing even more this year. Check out our Programs and Projects page to learn more!
NOVEMBER 2015
October went by so fast it was near the end of the month when I realized I hadn't done an entry for the month!
Sad news in the homeless community in late October. Dani Miller, a woman I worked with off and on for years, passed away in a jail cell in Cortez, CO. She had been living over in Cortez for the past year or so. Dani was very proud of the work she did with us on here in Moab on cleanups and recycling. Once she moved, she called me every few weeks to let me know what was going on and to tell me about her cleanup and recycling efforts in Cortez. She had a tragic life in many ways and we ask you to keep a good thought for Dani.
We kept busy in the canyon cutting seed heads off the Ravenna Grasses, most of which are along the banks of the creek, so we had to stand in water a lot. Sadly, my cell phone fell in the water during one outing but I was able to have it repaired!
A super volunteer, Sandy Hultgren, helped me cut seed heads on dozens of the grasses located in town. We got permission from the county to work on the plants on in town county buildings. Sandy also cut back, then dug up, a grass that had planted itself in my yard. I will keep an eye on the site to see if the plant tries to grow back, but the non-herbicide approach made me happy!
In case you are wondering, Ravenna Grass is an imported, highly invasive and competitive grass that grows right over native plants and along the banks of waterways. It is classified as a weed in many states and efforts are being made to eradicate this "alien invader" before it causes even more harm. If you would like more information about this plant, visit the home page of the Mill Creek Partnership. There is a brochure there that gives a lot more information about this grass.
The beaver dams have been holding and doing the great work they do to improve the environment around them. The beaver even helped out a bit by cutting down some Russian Olives. One of my board members remarked that we were getting "free labor" out of the beavers! To learn more about the absolutely great work beaver do, check out this article written by board member Mary O'Brien.
This month we have to do some reveg work around where a bathroom was installed near the parking area. We still have seed heads to cut, and user created trails to rehab, but the canyon is returning to a quiet time, and it is absolutely lovely to be there.
I am continuing public recycling in several places, and working with installations in agencies. I just need to learn how to present the WHY recycling is so important. Even though reducing over recycling, recycling over landfilling is how I like to see it.
We are getting ready to coordinate the annual fundraiser for The Salvation Army. I volunteer with the unit and it is when we raise most of the money we use to help hundreds in need throughout the year.
SEPTEMBER 2015
This month is zipping by! Cooler mornings and evenings make the hot afternoons tolerable, and soon enough my favorite time of year for hiking, winter, will be upon us.
In the meantime, work continues in the canyon. We are cutting seed heads on Ravenna Grass left and right, keeping the canyon clean from the road up to the parking area to the left hand waterfall, and keeping the trails clear and easy to navigate.
I want to start doing lots of cleanups along Mill Creek Drive, and Spanish Valley Drive, up to the mountains. There are truckloads of recycling and trash along the roads. It is hard to see until you get out and walk - that is when you see the staggering amounts.
We continue working with the homeless and people in need through Moab Solutions and through my volunteer work with The Salvation Army. It is a never ending process.
If you'd like to join me for a peaceful roadside cleanup, give me a call! 435-401-4685. If you want to learn more about Ravenna Grass and how to help curb its invasion of the area, go to
http://www.millcreekpartnership.net/ and click on the photo of Ravenna Grass on the home page.
AUGUST 2015
Lots of work going on in the canyon and it is looking good. My leg has healed enough that I can finally (!) go back to the waterfall area. We will get to the poison ivy the week of the 20th, and start cutting the seed stalks off Ravenna Grass soon after that.
I took a little break from the canyon and went out to Ken's Lake the other day. It was the definition of peaceful. Very quiet, gorgeous views. I did get a huge bag of dog waste, and little bits and pieces of other left behind items. It was very refreshing.
I trained some of the folks at The InterAct Club on how to maintain their newly installed recycle system. People are really starting to get it and the bins are full of recycling that are then taken to the outside recycle station. When those bins get near full club members will take the recycling up to the Community Recycling Center. Great job, InterAct!
One of the formerly homeless men I started working with in 2008 has been in housing since last December and now has a full-time job. He pays his own way, with pride. I engage him to patrol the parkway looking for camps and recycling/trash about once a week. I will soon be back on my beloved parkway, scrambling through the bushes and climbing down the hillsides to get that aluminum can or fast food wrapper.
I'd love to meet you there and do a cleanup! Call me.
JULY 2015
As my leg heals work heats up in the canyon and elsewhere. We got some funding from BLM to have paid crews work with volunteers in the canyon. We are busy maintaining the main trail from the parking area to the waterfall (lots of pruning!) and closing off user-created trails. The poison ivy came back with a vengeance, so we hope to remove that from along the trail very soon. We are also going to collect native seeds from canyon plants and spread them as we remove tumbleweeds and other weeds.
We have sent our 14th and 15th to rehab in Denver. One is a repeat customer. He had completed the program (six months), stayed in Denver in a sober living house, but relapsed when he came back here. He was very eager to get back on the sober track, so wish him well!
I lost my Easter Seals trainee, but for a great reason. He got a full-time job doing something he loves! So I am back to patrolling the parkway alone, and maintaining a bunch of recycle bins in a lot of places around town.
MARCH 2015
Common Thread/Operation Cooperation: March 28-April 5, 2015
Things are moving along in our efforts at Potato Salad Hill (PSH). during "Jeep Week," which will take place from March 28 until Easter Sunday, April 5. This year we are expanding our manned recycle station and informational display area to include a free shuttle service from a nearby location to PSH. This will go a long way toward protecting natural areas in this fragile desert environment while allowing full enjoyment of the areas open for hill climbing.
We can always use a few more volunteers! Read more about the Common Thread/Operation Cooperation Project, or reach us through our Contact us page.
Mill Creek Canyon
We will be scheduling our first work party soon. There are a couple of user-created trails we need to close and make sure the main trail to the waterfall is clear. We will install a few new signs, and begin removing weeds so the native plants can thrive.
There are at least five new beaver dams within a half mile of the parking area. They create wonderful habitat for other creatures as the ponds in the stream they nourish the banks. I hope they survive the spring flooding.
Check out the Mill Creek Partnership website for more information about the work we are doing in the canyon.
Recycling and Cleanups
The recently installed recycle system at the InterAct Club is going very well. Now that it has been in place for awhile, we are going to do a training with staff, and then the clients, to explain why recycling matters, and what items can be recycled. We also want to thank them for taking the time to care about recycling.
Warmer weather found us out and about in places where we discovered massive abandoned homeless camps and/or drinking spots. I have been working with a couple of community service workers to get them cleaned up and make sure all the recycling goes where it is supposed to - the Community Recycle Center.
Helping people in need
We are continuing street level outreach trying to get everybody the help they need. Very few people had to stay out during this - thankfully mild - winter. I recently had a call from a man about to graduate from the six month rehab in Denver, CO. He is so happy to be sober and is looking forward to a vibrant life. We wish him all the best.
Thanks to all the people working together to help those in need!