About 50 people of all ages turned out for the Tregaron Conservancy’s first Community Clean-Up Day on April 21 to help clean up the bridle path and the badly overgrown edges of the “banana field.” Care of Trees, which continues to clear out dead wood and invasive trees throughout Tregaron, brought in a huge dumpster to collect and haul away the vines, wood, weeds and undergrowth. But the amount of debris collected by our enthusiastic band of volunteers filled the dumpster and then some.
The day’s great success was due to the enthusiasm of our volunteers. They included Steve Callcott, from the city’s Historic Preservation Office, a dog-walker from Woodley Park Towers who happened upon our clean-up efforts and stayed to spend hours rooting out the vines along the banana field, and children who picked up garbage along the bridle paths as their parents plunged into heavier work.
A tireless group of long-time Tregaron devotees freed small trees from smothering ivy, lugged fallen branches down the bridle path hill to the dumpster, and attacked the vines and rampant undergrowth that all but owned the bridle path and the banana field. Jack Rowe, a Care of Trees arborist, told us that the cumulative effort of our Clean-Up Day saved the Conservancy thousands of dollars in work. Volunteers went home with new Tregaron Conservancy T-shirts and a satisfying sense of accomplishment. But more work will be needed as Care of Trees clears more of Tregaron.