Volunteers sought for Camden roadside cleanup
A photo from the Camden roadside cleanup in April. (Photo by Alison McKellar)
"Do me a favor, as a birthday gift to me I am going to pick up roadside litter, since it bothers me and will make me happy not to see it anymore. If you have some time today while you are out and about, pick up some litter for me. It will make my day." — Leonard Lookner (Posted on his Facebook page April 17th, 2015)
Jenna Lookner cleans a stretch of Melvin Heights Road in Camden during the April cleanup. (Photo courtesy of Jenna Lookner)
Alison McKellar (left) and Eliza Hazelton of Rockport during a roadside cleanup in September 2017. (Photo courtesy of Alison McKellar)
Gus Lookner and Jenna Lookner clean up upper Melvin Heights Road during the April trash cleanup event. (Photo courtesy of Jenna Lookner)
During the two day cleanup event in April, volunteers removed more than 2,000 pounds of detritus from Camden roadsides. (Photo courtesy of Alison McKellar)
A volunteer assists with picking up bagged trash from the roadside. (Photo courtesy of Alison McKellar)
Camden Public Works Director Rick Seibel (left) works with a volunteer during the April cleanup. (Photo courtesy of Alison McKellar)
A photo from the Camden roadside cleanup in April. (Photo by Alison McKellar)
"Do me a favor, as a birthday gift to me I am going to pick up roadside litter, since it bothers me and will make me happy not to see it anymore. If you have some time today while you are out and about, pick up some litter for me. It will make my day." — Leonard Lookner (Posted on his Facebook page April 17th, 2015)
Jenna Lookner cleans a stretch of Melvin Heights Road in Camden during the April cleanup. (Photo courtesy of Jenna Lookner)
Alison McKellar (left) and Eliza Hazelton of Rockport during a roadside cleanup in September 2017. (Photo courtesy of Alison McKellar)
Gus Lookner and Jenna Lookner clean up upper Melvin Heights Road during the April trash cleanup event. (Photo courtesy of Jenna Lookner)
During the two day cleanup event in April, volunteers removed more than 2,000 pounds of detritus from Camden roadsides. (Photo courtesy of Alison McKellar)
A volunteer assists with picking up bagged trash from the roadside. (Photo courtesy of Alison McKellar)
Camden Public Works Director Rick Seibel (left) works with a volunteer during the April cleanup. (Photo courtesy of Alison McKellar)
CAMDEN — In April, members of the Camden community (as well as a number of Rockport neighbors, and a handful of volunteers hailing from other parts of the Midcoast) gathered in the parking lot of the Hannaford supermarket on two consecutive drizzly Maine mornings. The purpose? To clean up Camden's roads in honor of Earth Day, and the celebrate the legacy of late Camden Select Board member and environmental advocate, Leonard Lookner, who passed away February 5.
The cleanup was inspired by the road cleanups organized as part of a "Keep Rockport Beautiful" campaign, as well as by Leonard's constant mission to clear Camden's roadsides of trash.
At 76, he was a spry and active man who routinely walked from his home on Melvin Heights Road into downtown Camden, filling his pockets with roadside trash during the approximately four-mile round trip walk.
Alison McKellar spearheaded the organization of the April event, accompanied later by three of Leonard's children, Gus, Gray, and Jenna.
Families from several communities chose roads to clean, and Rockport lent a supply of safety vests and trash grabber pickup sticks for Camden to use in their endeavor. From the youngest children, to older residents, this event was about camaraderie, community, honoring the earth and a departed resident who had made it his unofficial mission to rid the town of litter.
During the two day event, volunteers removed more than 2,000 pounds of detritus from Camden roadsides.
In keeping with this tradition, Alison, Jenna, and Gray are organizing a second roadside cleanup in Leonard's honor. The event will take place on Friday, October 6 and Saturday, October 7.
With winter closing in on Maine (more quickly than many of us might like to imagine) getting a summer's worth of discarded trash off of the roads is a timely endeavor in advance of the inevitable snowfall.
Volunteers are needed to assist with the upcoming autumn iteration of the cleanup. All are welcome, and invited to meet at the Hannaford parking lot at 9:00 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday. There is a Facebook page set up for the event, and those interested in volunteering can inquire via Facebook.
Organizers are hoping to make the cleanup a biannual tradition in Leonard's honor.
Jenna Lookner can be reached at jlooknercopy@gmail.com
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