Day of Service at Rosewood Lakes Nature Study Area

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - It’s a dirty job, but on this Martin Luther King Holiday and the Day of Service, dozens of people were the “someones” who volunteered to do it. Here at the Rosewood Lakes Nature Study Area, the wetlands offer a place to learn about nature, but there’s also trash that threatens nature’s very existence.

The Hunt family from King’s Beach says they came down here from Lake Tahoe to make a positive contribution.

“I think it is important that we keep the area clean,” says Jon Hunt. “I think it instills that in the kids too. So that they understand it is important for them,” he says.

Hunt says his wife found out about the “Day of Service” project. So, they loaded up the car and came down to the wetlands.

They and approximately 60-other volunteers would be split into two groups. One to document nature, the other to pick up garbage along the shoreline. The teams would then switch tasks.

“Really get involved in the community green spaces,” says Matt Debray with Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation of those who volunteered. Do a little bit of cleanup and learn about the natural environment we have here in the Truckee Meadows,” he says of the location.

Debray says this is the first time the parks foundation would focus on the nature study area. He suspects this will be an annual MLK and Day of Service location and project in the years to come

The teams were made up of smaller businesses, or just individuals themselves, All ages were reprsented including the Hunt daughters who were fully committed to Martin Luther King Day and its message of service.

“If we pick up trash than it helps the animals and environment and make sure they don’t get sick and everything and keeps them alive,” says Elsa Hunt

Her sister Olivia says Martin Luther King Jr’s work for civil rights and public service all seem to come together today.

“It’s important to give back for the big movement he did,” says Olivia, “Not to take away from it, but to give back to it,” she says.

Halfway through the project one entire dumpster was filled to the brim with plastic bags of garbage. The Truckee Meadows Park Foundation says it’s a great illustration of how just one day of service can make a big difference to local parks.

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