Unfortunately, trash is an issue along almost every road in our state.
However, the stretch of US Hwy 78 where it crosses Four Holes Swamp has lately been
especially littered. The route leads to the nearby landfill and some debris blows
free from commercial and private vehicles, but the majority of litter appears
to be beverage containers intentionally launched from vehicles. Additionally,
the persistent high water, since the historic October 2015 rains, has rafted
litter against the north side of the dam-like highway bed and into the woods on
the south side of the highway. Eventually, water will
carry litter downstream to the Edisto River and on into the Atlantic Ocean.
Knowing that we would have ten enthusiastic University of Missouri students working for
us during their alternative spring break, we planned to attack the US Hwy
78 litter issue sometime during their visit. However, we were not the only ones
noting the excessive litter. The folks at the Brosnan
Forest, property of the Norfolk-Southern Railroad, regularly clean portions
of US Hwy 78 where it passes through their property. They too had decided to
address the problem at the Four Holes Swamp crossing. It was decided that we
would combine forces and clean the mile-long stretch last Tuesday morning.
Mizzou students - Michael Dawson
With trash bags and litter grabbers provided by Carolyn Tomlinson of Keep Dorchester
County Beautiful, the Francis Beidler Forest and Brosnan Forest teams met
at the intersection of US Hwy 78/US Hwy 178. Each group divided into two teams
with Brosnan Forest taking the north side of the highway and Beidler
Forest/Mizzou taking the south side of the highway. One team from each group
began on the west end at Bridge Lake, while the other team from each group was
shuttled to the east side of the swamp near the Timothy Creek Riding Stables.
Litter Cleanup - Mark Musselman
Although the construction of the new bridge on the east side eliminated a
portion of the area to be cleaned on the north side of the highway, the litter
crews had the remainder of the roadway cleaned by noon. The 200+ bags of trash
were piled along the highway shoulder for the South Carolina Department of Transportation to
collect the following day. Not only did the crew from Brosnan Forest help us
clean up a portion of the swamp, they treated everyone to a fantastic lunch at their
facility near Dorchester, SC!
Litter Cleanup - Mark Musselman
Again, the vast majority of the litter consisted of beverage containers
(glass and plastic bottles, aluminum cans, Styrofoam-type cups). An estimated
3.5 tons of litter was collected! That is an impressive number for a one-mile
stretch of road. However, it would be much more impressive and healthier for
our freshwater and marine ecosystems, if our cleaning efforts were unnecessary.
Remember, “Litter Trashes Everyone.”
