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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Nov. 30, 1999
99-251
Contact: Jani Gilbert, Public Information Manager, 509-456-4464; pager, 509-622-1289
SPOKANE - Ecology Youth Corps litter crews operating in Adams and Grant counties cleaned 295 miles of state highway and 28 acres of state land during an eight-week period last summer.
The 33 youths, ages 14-17, accumulated 2,048 bags totaling more than 15 tons of litter. The crews were based in Ephrata, Moses Lake, Othello and Ritzville.
The teens earned $6 per hour and were selected through an interview process after returning completed applications to the Department of Ecology (Ecology) in Spokane. Applications may be picked up each year beginning Feb. 1 at the Employment Security Department in Moses Lake or through school counselors.
"These are great kids doing a great job for the state of Washington," said Gary Lambacher, with Ecology's solid-waste program. "The kids provide an important service to their communities while also gaining valuable job skills, teamwork experience, safety awareness and education about their environment."
In addition to bagging trash commonly thrown from vehicle, the crews also come across some more interesting items, such as car parts, hood ornaments, drug paraphernalia, diapers and dead animals.
"This is more than just a job for these youths -- they are developing an important environmental ethic," Lambacher said. "If we could afford to send all kids through this program, the litter problem would eventually go away!"
The July and August Ephrata crews, supervised by Ray Neff, included Jennifer Ajinga, Casey Blue and Ronald Weaver from Soap Lake. The crews also included Thomas Barnes, Tyler Chambers, Jasmine Hollandsworth, Larry Hoy, Christina MacDonald, Daniel Servias, Olivia Tafoya, Josh Whitford and Nathaniel Wurl, all of Ephrata.
The August Moses Lake crew, supervised by Jennifer Schubert, included Michelle Angell, Preston Ham, Joe Jamison and Mike Stussy of Moses Lake, and Jeff Reed of Warden.
The August Othello crew, supervised by Natalie Piercy, included Cody Hebdon of Royal City, and Alan Dauber, Rebekah Greene, Kristal Minney and Chad Robbins of Ritzville.
The July Ritzville crew, supervised by Natalie Kelsey, and the August Ritzville crew, supervised by Stanley Bates, included Rachelle and Rhianna Coleman of Odessa, and David Carleton, Micah Cox, Phillip Duncan, Kayla Kennedy, Tracy Pawson, Brandon Sanzen, Brandon Schukay, Ryan Snowden and Christopher Wahl, all of Ritzville.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
