Mint 400 Desert Clean-Up
Held on March 4th was the annual Mint 400 Desert Clean-Up. A volunteer event held in preparation of the Mint 400 off-road race being held the following weekend.
The event was held a short distance north of Jean Nevada, east of Las Vegas Blvd. on Liteweight Road. At the staging area were seven very large blue Republic Services commercial trash receptacles, and two large rear-load trash trucks. To my surprise, they were all needed for this event. Also on the site were tents set up representing the Mint 400, and a few other local organizations that promote the enjoyment and upkeep of the outdoor areas.
Continued:
After a few words from one of the co-owners of the Mint 400, and the event host, we were directed to grab large plastic trash bags and spread out anywhere and everywhere into the nearby surrounding desert in search of trash.
There must have been around 100 volunteers, maybe more, and half as many vehicles, mostly 4x4 trucks.
After announcements were finished, we made our way to our vehicles and moved out in search of an area we thought we would find trash to remove.
I followed the paved road which led south for a short distance then headed east up toward the mountains. Near the base of the mountains, I found and followed a dirt road heading southeast toward the town of Jean. As a solo traveler on this road which eventually turned into a wash, I stopped whenever I saw a piece of trash and put it in my bag, or something larger like wood, metal, or plastic and placed it in the bed of my truck.
At times I found myself stopping and walking out to pick up an item only to see another item, then another, then another. I was disappointed with myself for not bringing my plastic bag with me. Many of the plastic bottles and can were full of dirt and the bags eventually became too heavy to be dragging very far, making multiple trips necessary.
I traveled this trail for about two hours until it was time to start heading back to the staging area. We were told to return by 1:00 as there would be a raffle held at 1:15. I unloaded my truck into one of the large blue bins and joined the crowd waiting around to see who would be lucky enough to win one of many nice prizes.
Some of the items given away were King Shocks swag bags, racing fuel bottles, off-road remote-controlled trucks, gift vouchers to Off-Road Wearhouse, the Strat hotel, a set of racing wheels, and for the big prize: a $1,200 voucher for GF Goodrich tires.
While a number of people walked away with a nice prize, I walked away with the satisfaction of doing what I could to help keep our local desert clean, and a more pleasant environment for all to enjoy.
God created great beauty with this environment we have to live in and explore, too bad some people will tarnish it by carelessly throwing and dumping their trash, thus disrupting its natural beauty.
Thank you to all the volunteers who lent a hand this day.
The event was held a short distance north of Jean Nevada, east of Las Vegas Blvd. on Liteweight Road. At the staging area were seven very large blue Republic Services commercial trash receptacles, and two large rear-load trash trucks. To my surprise, they were all needed for this event. Also on the site were tents set up representing the Mint 400, and a few other local organizations that promote the enjoyment and upkeep of the outdoor areas.
Continued:
After a few words from one of the co-owners of the Mint 400, and the event host, we were directed to grab large plastic trash bags and spread out anywhere and everywhere into the nearby surrounding desert in search of trash.
There must have been around 100 volunteers, maybe more, and half as many vehicles, mostly 4x4 trucks.
After announcements were finished, we made our way to our vehicles and moved out in search of an area we thought we would find trash to remove.
I followed the paved road which led south for a short distance then headed east up toward the mountains. Near the base of the mountains, I found and followed a dirt road heading southeast toward the town of Jean. As a solo traveler on this road which eventually turned into a wash, I stopped whenever I saw a piece of trash and put it in my bag, or something larger like wood, metal, or plastic and placed it in the bed of my truck.
At times I found myself stopping and walking out to pick up an item only to see another item, then another, then another. I was disappointed with myself for not bringing my plastic bag with me. Many of the plastic bottles and can were full of dirt and the bags eventually became too heavy to be dragging very far, making multiple trips necessary.
I traveled this trail for about two hours until it was time to start heading back to the staging area. We were told to return by 1:00 as there would be a raffle held at 1:15. I unloaded my truck into one of the large blue bins and joined the crowd waiting around to see who would be lucky enough to win one of many nice prizes.
Some of the items given away were King Shocks swag bags, racing fuel bottles, off-road remote-controlled trucks, gift vouchers to Off-Road Wearhouse, the Strat hotel, a set of racing wheels, and for the big prize: a $1,200 voucher for GF Goodrich tires.
While a number of people walked away with a nice prize, I walked away with the satisfaction of doing what I could to help keep our local desert clean, and a more pleasant environment for all to enjoy.
God created great beauty with this environment we have to live in and explore, too bad some people will tarnish it by carelessly throwing and dumping their trash, thus disrupting its natural beauty.
Thank you to all the volunteers who lent a hand this day.
