Aurora – Josh Boudar, 13, listened to his PlayStation Portable as he scooped up trash from the High Line Canal.
Techno music from his earphones provided the soundtrack to Boudar’s last three hours of community service to qualify for his Life Badge for Boy Scout Troop 3.
Josh earned his hours with about 450 other volunteers Saturday picking up debris along the High Line Canal as part of the Great High Line Canal Clean Up.
“We found a dead coyote,” Josh said. “That was weird.”
The Aurora Water Department sponsors the event every March to clean the area before April water releases from Denver raise canal water levels and drag litter through the area, said Rory Franklin, Aurora Water spokeswoman.
Trash carried by the canal ends up in Sand and Tollgate creeks, affecting animal habitats and blocking waterways, she said. “It seems almost impossible but the eight tons we pick up are almost entirely food wrappers,” Franklin said.
While the water from the canal is not used for drinking, it is used for agriculture, Franklin said.
Among the other trash items littered on the banks were bottles, soda cans and cigarette butts.
“It’s really a disgusting practice,” said Bill Pencey, 49, of Aurora. “People think, ‘It’s a park and if I dump it someone else will take care of it.”‘
A resident of Aurora for 18 years, Pencey brought his daughter, Olivia, 12 to the clean up. “Since we use the parks a lot this seemed like it would be a good idea,” Olivia said.
Making sure people are aware of problems of pollution and littering are the main goals of the cleanup, Franklin said.
“Especially since so many kids participate it brings attention to how much trash there is,” Franklin said.
Clearing the trash in Section 4 of the cleanup, Josh’s Scout Troop 3 played and teased one another as they worked.
“I think they can see what other people do with trash and maybe the next time when they want to throw trash out the window they’ll think, ‘Oops, someone may have to clean that,”‘ said Gwen Brightwell, 42, a chaperone for the troop.
Staff writer Gabriela Resto-Montero can be reached at 303-954-1638 or grestomontero@denverpost.com.
