Castlewood Cleanup Takes Away Trash, Lessons Taught

In a special Monday edition of her Health & Fitness column, Ballwin-Ellisville Patch Writer Dawn Runge talks about a recent effort to restore beauty to one of Ballwin's greatest assets.

During a recent Saturday hike in in Ballwin with
a few friends, I lamented the trash left on the side of the trails, vowing that something must be done. It seemed like only fate then, when checking my Facebook invites shortly after, a classmate created an event called “Clean Up Castlewood” for the last Sunday in July. Many students at Logan College of Chiropractic, where I also attend, use Castlewood for their fitness activities, as do many of the young professionals in the area.

Beau Beard, 27, Logan Sports Council President and the creator of the event, runs Castlewood’s trails three to four times a week, and also does photography there.

“Simply put, I just see the accumulation of litter on the trails," Beard said. "I think that all people should be allowed to use the park, but not everyone understands that there are responsibilities that go along with using these resources."

A group of us met in the afternoon, and it already was warm enough to produce perspiration on the brow. Of the group of about 15, I recognized a few faces and the rest were introduced promptly. One couple, Moriah Biggs, 27, and Billy Biggs, 26, brought their dog Oreo along for the trash hunt. 

Like many parks, Castlewood has to cope not only litter from runners and walkers, but also from trespassers who drink in some of the secluded spots. The group split into two, and took different trail areas.

“It was a great opportunity to walk beautiful hiking trails by the river while cleaning a local recreation area used by many,” said Mandy Embrich, 24.  

Besides the usual beer bottles and snack wrappers, our psuedo treasure-hunt revealed a gas can, a car seat, and an Etch-A-Sketch type toy. After about an hour, everyone had filled a bag of trash.

“All it took was a few people willing to devote a short amount of time to remove over 10 bags of trash,” said Moriah Biggs. “I’m shocked people would disregard such a beautiful park.”

After a short water break, we met up with the other half of the group and lobbed the garbage bags into the dumpster — the final act of an accomplishment the group was proud to take part in — and likely to follow with a much-needed shower.

“People in their twenties sometimes get a bad rap for being apathetic to public and environmental issues," Beard said. "So going out there and setting a positive example is a good start to changing that stigma."

Regardless of one's age, there was a simpler lesson to be learned Sunday: Events that are aimed at cleaning up the community don't need to be sponsored by an organization or have great fanfare. It just takes a few like-minded people willing to take an hour or two to help take care of their community.

If you'd like to register a small group to clean up, contact Castlewood's Park Office at 636-227-4433. If you're looking for a more steady or formalized way to get involved, Castlewood has a program through Missouri State Parks called VIP- or Volunteer In Parks.  Additionally, the Open Space Council holds several events such as Operation Clean Stream, which next meets Saturday, August 27.