For those curious, please take a hour and go walk along the shoulder of Scenic Highway 89A between Cottonwood and Sedona, Arizona. With the 2011 cleaning and mowing of the highways shoulders and median strip I will tell you the highway has NEVER been cleaner.

We have a ways to go and perseverance is required to advance this effort but you may now enjoy a mostly clean highway complete with the viewing of unobstructed wild flowers. Some of our approaches to bring our message to the public, though a bit unorthodox, have been effective in educating the public to the quantity of trash, type of trash and who’s littering our highways.

Most of the 15 ADOT Adopt-A-Highway Permittee’s between Cottonwood and Sedona are responsible for this drastic change. Reese & Sons Tire, Tire Pro Automotive, Rusty’s Morningstar Ranch, Cottonwood Home Depot, Windmill Garden, Sedona Recycling and the Flagstaff Highway Maintenance Department have been key players in completing a process which includes recycling of all of the bags of litter. The recycling process has resulted in only 20% of the contents going to the landfill and the litter bags are being used up to three times.

This is an example of what a community working together can do, we should all be very proud of this effort. Will you bring your “Boots to the ground” and help us at our May 21, 2011 event? We are restoring the beauty to America the Beautiful to honor our soldiers, veterans and communities. This effort could be replicated in any community, please contact us at any time.

Gary Chamberlain
“Point Man” Folksville USA
FolksvilleUSA@gmail.com