Fairmount Ravine cleanup followup, plus: How about an ivy-fighting day – are you in?

After the 22nd annual Fairmount Ravine cleanup, a lot of work’s been done, and much remains. The photo, report, and question, are from Sarah Schieron:

23 volunteers joined to remove 65 large bags of trash, 4 tires, 5 chairs, a kids swimming pool, and many many cans and bottles out of the Fairmount Ravine this morning.

This year, we saw fewer volunteers than last year despite very favorable weather conditions. However, those that participated, to a person, worked hard and made a valuable contribution. Volunteers ranged from 2 to 86 years of age and over half were participating for the very first time. We were grateful to have veterans, John Lang and Blair Constantine, participate for their 22nd consecutive year as their history and experience in this green space is so useful.

Our thanks to Metropolitan Market, Zatz a Better Bagel and Natalie Steffens of the Admiral Starbucks for donating generous refreshments. SPD Officers Flores and MacNeil were a very helpful presence and arranged for trash pick-up at midday.

Each year the majority of our time and effort is under the Admiral bridge. We do some invasive plant cutting, but we never make the impact we would like on this growing concern. We wonder if our community has the interest and commitment for a second work day specifically to cut back ivy? There are many trees that are overcome by this invasive plant and will die and fall without some intervention. If helping in this way interests you, please contact sarahbroz@yahoo.com so we can plan another community workday in the next month (before the nettles grow taller).

Thank you to the volunteers, donors, and police team who made Saturday such a success!

16 Replies to "Fairmount Ravine cleanup followup, plus: How about an ivy-fighting day - are you in?"

  • Brenda March 16, 2014 (6:17 am)

    That’s awesome SPD Officer Flores was there!

    I would have gone, but I was out of town. I would show up if a second clean is scheduled.

  • Alkidoc March 16, 2014 (8:05 am)

    This canyon in a special place, unique in this area, and the people that have homes here say THANkS!

  • Jeff March 16, 2014 (11:14 am)

    If the police would regularly roust the vagrants that live there, it might stay clean. And don’t even start, it’s able bodied twenty somethings that live there and beg while high at the Safeway.

  • flimflam March 16, 2014 (11:32 am)

    jeff, or, the vagrants that live there could…wait for it…..clean up after themselves! what a concept!

  • Sarah Schieron March 16, 2014 (11:35 am)

    Wonderful folks joined us again this year and I got a renewed bolt of appreciation for neighbors I know and don’t know.
    On the downside, it seems I bagged my own wedding ring on Saturday in the finger of a latex glove. I’m sick about it.

    • WSB March 16, 2014 (11:42 am)

      Oh no! I’m sure you’ve already gone through all the options for trying to recover … I don’t know how the new transfer station works; the old one had kind of a floor where workers went through stuff before it headed off onto train cars or truck beds…

  • Sarah Schieron March 16, 2014 (11:47 am)

    The SPD picked up the trash and I’m not sure where it went. I put a call into Officer Flores last night. I went back to the ravine yesterday afternoon but everyone was so thorough there wasn’t a speck of anything left behind.

    It feels pretty hopeless. It’s the needle in the haystack type of thing when you are dealing with that much garbage.

  • David Whiting March 16, 2014 (3:41 pm)

    I would be interested in coordinating an ivy removal in the ravine and have ideas and experience. Please contact me.

    David Whiting, President
    Admiral Neighborhood Assn.
    info@admiralneighborhood.org

  • Brenda March 16, 2014 (5:06 pm)

    Jeff, SPD has to follow local laws and those Dirtbags as I call them have every “right” to be there. It’s a public space. I went as far as I could working with both SPD and DOT and it comes down to our local law makers to change that space to a NO TRESPASS area, then SPD could enforce it.

    I’m so sick of Jared (dread locks) shop lifting right in front of me at The Met. That poor dog too that sits with the couple at Safeway. Every time I see them I have the manager tell them to move.

    I live right by the bridge. I see them almost everyday.

  • WS Lynn March 16, 2014 (5:49 pm)

    Isn’t the property owner (the city) required to maintain this area?

  • Alvis March 16, 2014 (7:15 pm)

    By far, most of the accumulated trash in Fairmount Ravine each year is empty beer cans and spray paint canisters (for graffiti) left by kids who gather and party at the top of the hill under the west end of Admiral Bridge. Any garbage left by vagrants at the top of the hill under the east side of the Admiral Bridge tends to reflect basic human needs such as blankets and food containers.

  • jissy March 16, 2014 (7:56 pm)

    Sarah: SO SORRY! Been there, done that — if you can find where the trash went, I would happily don a pair of kitchen gloves and help you pick through all those bags in an effort to find your ring. It will of course be in the last bag we check, but sincerely, I will help.

  • Sarah Schieron March 16, 2014 (8:24 pm)

    Jissy, such a kind and generous offer! Thank you! It sounds like at this point there is no hope, those yellow bags are long gone, but I’m touched by the gesture.

    It was my husband’s grandmothers ring, so very sentimental. It will be found, someday, by someone and loved again.

  • Forest March 16, 2014 (8:31 pm)

    jissy –

    To paraphrase a line by the just-deceased comedian David Brenner, “Of course it will be in the last place you looked. You don’t keep looking after you find it.”

  • pc March 19, 2014 (5:24 pm)

    Sarah, so sorry about the ring. We all appreciate your work on this and hope that you continue to spearhead. I found different kinds of garbage in different areas–the stuff that was thrown off the bridge included many spray paint cans, but under the bridge was like a midden mound–leftovers of daily life. The current laws do say that living under the bridge is illegal and that it is trespassing, regardless of signage. The rest has to do with policy and resources. The cost to keep it cleared is very large. Current policy is to offer services, not arrest, and it can take some time to get someone to move.Community Police Flores and McDaniel asked us all to tell them whenever we saw folks down there and that they would involve themselves.

Sorry, comment time is over.