CARTER LAKE - Citizens of Carter Lake fought back this weekend against the garbage tarnishing their lake. More than 200 volunteers pulled litter from the mud and water on Saturday, Sept. 17 during the First Annual Carter Lake Cleanup.

The event brought the community of Carter Lake together and succeeded in beautifying the lake, said Steve Wilbur, President of Shoals Homeowner's Association, one of the effort's sponsors.

"We put a big dent in the trash out on the lake," Wilbur said. "We had really good success with the volunteers. They came out in force."

Various groups and citizens from Carter Lake - near Omaha, Neb. - organized the event in response to ongoing dumping and the presence of dangerous, unsightly garbage in the lake.

Volunteers removed enough glass, metal and plastic recyclables to fill 1.5 10-wheel dump trucks. They collected enough scrap metal to fill 15 10-wheel dump trucks and enough non-recyclable garbage items to fill 9 10-wheel dump trucks.

Items recovered from the lake included three bicycles, roughly 100 tires, roughly 20 55-gallon barrels, various traffic signs, a 12-gauge shotgun, three safes, an old-fashioned adding machine, a 14-foot long side of a wooden boat, a Porta-Potty, a post hole driver, a 20 foot section of train rail, a steel I-beam with rebar attached, a 30 foot heavy cable, a children's slide, an old fashioned children's pedal tractor and much more.

Participants included members of the Creighton Rowing Team, the Silver Hawks Ski Club and people from across the state. Most of the volunteers, however, were Carter Lake citizens concerned about their town and its resources.

"I love our community and I think it's our responsibility to get the lake cleaned up," said volunteer Terry Wells. "I think it's really exciting how many people came out here."

At the event, volunteers formed five to six member teams and walked the 315-acre lake's shore, loading garbage onto canoes and flat-bottomed boats. Jet-skis then towed the boats to various collection points. Participants then sorted through the garbage to remove all recyclable materials.

The cleanup also included free breakfast, lunch and dinner, evening entertainment and a prize drawing - including hotel stays, meals and golf passes donated by local businesses. Organizers gave away more than 60 prizes, worth more than $1,000.

The cleanup was the first step in saving the lake, Wilbur said. Organizers plan to make the cleanup an annual event, with the next outing planned for April 8. They hope to eventually tackle the lake's low water levels, Wilbur said.

Keepers of the Land, the Iowa DNR's volunteer program, assisted the cleanup in the areas of waste management, volunteer recruitment and recognition, sponsorship and publicity. The volunteer program offers similar help to other efforts statewide.

Numerous groups and individuals made the cleanup success through donations and support, including:

A-1 Containers & Hauling, Accurate Sprinkler System, Alter Trading Corporation, Ampe's Homestyle Café, Blue Waters Mini Golf, Boy Scouts of America, Boys and Girls Club, Buddy's Marina, Budget Auto Sales, Bull Feathers, Carol Davis Thermal Underwear, Carter Lake City Parks, Carter Lake Community Resource Center, Carter Lake Hardware, Carter Lake Improvement Club, Carter Lake Senior Center, Carter Lake Volunteer Fire Department, Chez Paree, City of Carter Lake, City Super Shop, Coca Cola, Council Bluffs Savings Bank, Dairy Queen, Echo Lighting, Jeanne and Mark Eibes, Goodkind and Goodkind, Holiday Inn Express, Hollywood Diner, Jerre Hunter, Keep Omaha Beautiful, Kicks 66, Kwik Shop, Liberty Bank, Loffredo Fresh Produce, Manuel's Tire Shop, Midwest Appraisal, Millard Roadhouse, Millard Sprinkler, Omaha Marine Center, Peoples National Bank, Pepsi Bottling Group, Pettit's Pastry, Quality Lawns, Restaurants, Inc., Rick's Boatyard Café, River City Star, Shoal Home Owner, Shoeline Golf Course, Silver Hawks Ski Club, Sprigs a Global Eatery, Subway, Sunderland Brothers Co., Super 8 Carter Lake, Trajet Whirlpool Bath, Tri City Dental, VFW, Walingford Construction, Weyerhauser, Wingate Inn and Yankee Hill Brick and Tile.

For more information, contact Steven Wilbur at (712) 847-0847 or at sswilbur1@aol.com or Jeanne Eibes at (712) 347-6455.
 

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