Volunteers in droves: Turkey Mountain’s biggest cleanup day

At the end of the day, Turkey Mountain became a better place because of the efforts from trail users of all stripes: Runners, hikers, cyclists and equestrians. We saw retirees, young people, athletes and families, with kids in tow. In my crew, I had two little guys eagerly attacking the trash and hauling it out.

For them, it meant not just giving back, but learning more about Turkey Mountain, why this place is important and what’s at stake concerning its future.

Volunteers take advantage of warmer temps in Turkey Mountain cleanup day Saturday

Since then, the group has broadened its goals to raise awareness about urban wilderness areas and to encourage preservation, Tawney said. People who use the trails generally do a good job of maintaining them, but a cleanup day is a chance for people to give back.

More on the Outlet Mall on Turkey Mountain

Damage that was done for no purpose. Keep in mind that this is not public land, it is private land so I guess they can do whatever the landowner will stand for. Still, I spent years building pipelines all over Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and I never met a landowner who would stand for this kind of damage during the survey process.

Turkey Mountain update: The damage that’s already done

Here’s the deal: If this mall gets approved, what is pictured above is just a sampling. Much more acreage will be cut down. Drainage issues look problematic: storm water runoff from a parking lot (which would include toxic things like spilled motor oil, gasoline, other auto fluids and whatever leaks from trash dumpsters) looks like it would flow downhill into a ravine, which eventually drain into Mooser Creek, itself a delicate ecosystem maybe a mile to the north. And who knows what erosion issues we’re talking about.