Earlier this fall, a 20-acre land preserve along South River Road west of 600 West was in danger of being closed off due to continuous dumping in the area.
Thanks to the help of local volunteers and the Cass County Highway Department, it looks like that’s no longer the case.
Northern Indiana Citizens Helping Ecosystems Survive, or NICHES, was one of the organizations that assisted with cleanup efforts. According to Ron Haston, stewardship manager for NICHES Land Trust, about 17 volunteers came out to help clean up last fall, many of them local residents.
“It’s done real well,” said Haston. “A lot of people enjoy that place ... We hated to have to think of closing it.”
Haston added that the area has become a popular spot for geocaching, a kind of modern scavenger hunt in which participants use Global Positioning Systems or mobile devices to hide and find containers called geocaches all over the world.
Haston praised the Cass County Catfishing Club and the Cass County Highway Department for their efforts in the cleanup as well.
Cass County Highway Superintendent Jeff Smith said the Department did some dumping of their own – berm dirt in order to create a barrier to prevent people from backing in off the road and unloading trash.
“I think it has helped calm things down as far as dumping,” Smith said.
Brenda Louthain, a Cass County conservation officer, said the negative impacts of dumping near rivers are far-reaching.
“When you’re along a riverbank, there’s a good chance dumped trash gets swept downriver and causes problems for other localities,” she said.
She agreed that the cleanup and work done by the Highway Department was keeping the area clean.
“I think a lot of the problem has been curtailed simply because of what they did.”
However, Louthain said she has been noticing an increase in dumping along the north side of the Wabash River. She said if more people took advantage of the recycling programs Cass County offers, this kind of thing wouldn’t happen as often.
“I don’t know what else they can do,” she said. “Cass County is neat in the fact that they have all these recycling programs. People need to take advantage of those. If they did that, you’d find less of a chance of trash out there.”
Mitchell Kirk is a staff reporter at the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached at 574-732-5130 or mitchell.kirk@pharostribune.com.
Local News
Former Georgetown dumping site staying clean
Those involved in the cleanup say area is doing far better
- Local News
-
-
Preventing injury
With long hours working in factories, Cass County workers can often acquire muscular injuries and damage to the fingers.
-
Area beats state average on school reading test
Area education administrators are crediting daily reading blocks, regular monitoring throughout the school year and tutoring services for third graders’ above-average performance in a statewide reading test after several schools in the area saw an increase in scores from last year.
-
Garage sale gun buys up
As guns are increasingly being sold by private sellers, police warn sellers to check out the background of the buyers.
-
City continues fighting trash, abandoned vehicles
Code enforcement in Logansport is heating up along with the weather with violation figures already surpassing those of last year.
-
Power out for two hours downtown
Two power outages today cut power to much of Logansport and later to about 500 customers northeast of city limits.
-
Let there be a light
Replacement of a traffic light pole at Third and Market streets should be finished by early next week, according to a representative of the Indiana Department of Transportation.
-
Streetscape projects coming downtown
Work is set to begin on the first of five downtown streetscape projects that will replace street lights, dress up sidewalks with decorative blocks and make the city more compatible with regulations stipulated in the Americans with Disabilities Act.
-
Stolen farm pigs taken to market
Forty-four pigs made it to market, but ahead of schedule.
-
Logansport schools plan high-ability summer classes
Logansport students will be solving mysteries, finding treasure and building roller coasters this summer.
-
Forging friendships
A group of 30 Chinese citizens — students, teachers and an education delegate — stayed with families and toured elementary schools in Logansport this week where they observed classes, learned about one another and forged friendships through a recently established cultural exchange program.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
