By Philip Navarrette
reporter@trcle.com
Saturday was a day of environmental awareness as volunteers flocked to Buffalo Creek in Cleburne to participate in the Buffalo Creek Association’s annual Buffalo Creek Clean Up.
Volunteers gathered at 9 a.m. to walk the creek from downtown Cleburne to Hulen Park picking up trash and litter along the way.
“I thought it was great,” said Donna Jackson, Cleburne’s director of development services. “Everybody was so enthusiastic, and we had a good group.”
Jackson said this year’s cleanup had 143 participants, the highest number in the event’s 12-year history.
“We are so appreciative of all the volunteers,” Jackson said.
Volunteer Tyler Winkler said picking up trash along the creek was a good experience.
“It’s nice to get out with other people and work together on something like this,” he said.
This year’s cleanup saw 11⁄2 tons of debris pulled from the creek, Cleburne Environmental Coordinator Julie Winchell said.
“That’s actually a lower number than we’ve had in previous years, but that’s actually a very good sign because it shows that people are paying more attention to our waterways and helping to protect them,” Winchell said.
Years past saw a much higher amount of illegal dumping at the creek, but the problem has tapered off in recent years, she said.
The event is held every year to beautify the area in preparation for the Springfest celebration and Ducky Derby. This year will also include a Buffalo Creek Waddle Walk, where participants can walk the creek from downtown to the park.
Art posters from local schools will line the walkway, giving the area a splash of color, Winchell said.
“This year we wanted to call special attention to the area because we completed the walkway from downtown Cleburne all the way to Hulen Park, and a lot of citizens don’t know that that has been completed,” Winchell said. “We are going to have the posters lining the trail, and the idea of the Duck Waddle was to introduce the citizens to the idea that you could walk basically from downtown all the way to Hulen Park.”
