Community members from across Champaign county came together Saturday morning to participate in the 20th anniversary of Boneyard Creek Community Day.
Over 500 residents took part in the clean-up, helping clear litter and invasive species along the Boneyard Creek shoreline.
The cities, park districts, and the University have a stormwater permit from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency that requires public outreach and education. Boneyard Creek Community Day helps to fulfill this requirement and ensure compliance with state and federal water regulations.
The program aims to encourage environmental stewardship while removing litter across the county. It encourages as many residents to help out as possible.
“We cover a lot of different areas, so it’s getting enough people to not just do the campus and Champaign area, but getting people out to the Savoy area and out to North Prospect in Urbana too, because we really want this to be community-wide,” said Zoe Southlynn-Savage, program manager for the Champaign Park District.
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Residents gathered at Scott Park at 9 a.m. to gather materials like garbage bags, snacks and gloves before splitting up to clean a location of choice. At noon, they reconvened for lunch, music and environmental outreach exhibits.
Clean-up areas were not restricted to parks and shorelines, with many residents working in their own neighborhoods.
“Litter on the street goes to storm drains and it will end up in the creek, so it’s all connected,” said Betsy Richardson, compliance coordinator in the University’s Facilities and Services department.
With warmer temperatures and no rain during this yearʼs community day, families, students, boy and girl scouts, YMCA clubs and many others showed up.
Some people traveled over an hour just to participate.
“I interned here over the summer and I lived in a student apartment right by Scott Park, and I used to come here every morning before work, and there was just trash everywhere,” said Andrea Swihart-DeCoster, a senior at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. “I just thought to myself, I would love to pick all this up.”
University clubs and RSOs also advertised Boneyard Creek Community Day as a volunteer opportunity for their members.
“I’m here with the Undergraduate Psychology Association,” said Sophie Bush, sophomore in LAS and Social Work. “This is one of our volunteer events, so our exec, our committee, our other members decided to come together and just help out.”
Volunteers worked for over two hours found various types of trash along the Boneyard Creek shoreline, including bottle caps and wrappers, which are especially harmful to animals.
“I found lots of cigarette butts which was not surprising … broken glass, bottles and a lot of plastic and styrofoam,” said Sara Metheny, an Urbana resident.
Over the years the event has garnered local support from sponsors including the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District.
The event is organized and coordinated by many entities, including nearby cities and park districts, the University and Prairie Rivers Network — an environmental non-profit organization.
“We usually start (planning) about 3 months out … it has become a well-oiled machine,” Southlynn-Savage said.
The community day positively impacts the well-being of the creek and spreads awareness about water pollution.
“People need to stop littering, it’s a lot more than you realize,” Bush said.
Beyond the creek clean-up, Boneyard Creek Community Day highlights the teamwork of residents across the county.
“I think it’s awesome just that everyone is working together,” Richardson said. “You have all the cities and the park districts and the University just coming together as a team, and I think that’s really cool.”
