A thank you to all who helped with cleanup day

Milton Cleanup Day helpers pose in front of the Farm Museum after finishing their work. (Courtesy photo)

 A town wide cleanup of litter from Milton roads in celebration of Earth Day attracted close to eighty residents, young and old, to join in an effort to beautify the town. Moose Mountains Regional Greenways’ Education Coordinator Kari Lygren, who spearheaded the event planning, called the day ‘a huge success’.  She added, “It was wonderful to see so many groups, kids and people of all ages working together. What a great community effort!

The roads targeted for cleanup were NH Scenic and Cultural byways, six miles along the White Mountain Highway and three miles of Applebee Road in Milton Mills. Although a few short sections were missed, passersby will notice marked improvement in the appearance of both roads, making them a pleasure to travel. In addition, some residents chose to pick up littler along streets where they live, Bolan Road, Evergreen Valley Road, Hare Road and Teneriffe Road.

Following a couple hours of cleanup, volunteers gathered at the NH Farm Museum for a group photo and community potluck lunch. A variety of crockpot hot dishes, cold salads, desserts and hot dogs satisfied the hungry crowd. Whenever some food slipped from a plate, the wandering Farm Museum chickens participated in the Earth Day cleanup!

In planning the event, MMRG was joined by the New Hampshire Farm Museum, the Milton Recreation Department, Milton Fire & Rescue, Boy Scout Troop 155, and Branch Hill Farm. The Milton Conservation Commission, Milton Public Works, Cub Scout Pack 155 and the Milton Home Schoolers also helped out, as did numerous Milton residents, including two Select Board members and the new town administrator. Thanks go to Milton Hardware which donated gloves and bags for recyclables, to Milton Fire & Rescue which donated gloves and the use of their fire trucks, and to Milton Recreation which donated hot dogs, popcorn, and lemonade. Branch Hill Farm is enrolled in the NH the Beautiful program which lent road signs, trash grabbers and orange pinnies and donated blue bags for trash.

Moose Mountains Regional Greenways is a non-profit land conservation organization, working since 2000 to conserve the natural resources of the Moose Mountains Region. For more information on MMRG and for a calendar of upcoming outreach events, go to www.mmrg.info. 

Virginia C. Long