Locals bitten by the litter bug help clean Newfield

Spring has sprung, and it seems that the hills of Newfield have turned green overnight. The bright yellows of forsythia and daffodils brighten our morning commutes, but something less appealing also blooms in our ditches. Once the snowbanks (finally!) recede, and before the weeds and wildflowers fully take over, the trash littering our roadsides becomes glaringly apparent.

Some people drive by and don’t even see the accumulated fast food wrappers and soda cans. Most probably notice the ugliness and turn away in disgust, too busy or distracted to think twice about it. But for a special few, spring cleaning extends beyond the confines of their homes and into the streets of their neighborhoods. These roadside warriors come in all shapes, sizes and ages.

On Earth Day, Newfield’s Girl Scouts continued a decadeslong tradition by picking up litter along the main streets of the village. Girl Scout Service Unit Manager Amanda DeOlden said the girls were not necessarily enthusiastic about the job at first, but by the end of the day, they were hooked.

“One mom texted me that morning to say her daughter thought it was gross and didn’t want to do it,” DeOlden said. “Let me tell you, this girl picked up the most trash. She went in all the hard-to-reach places and got the muddiest. I think she had the most fun of all of us.”

While the younger troop cleaned up the sidewalks along Main Street, older scouts branched out to Route 13 in one direction and to the Baptist Church in the other. One group collected trash on Bank Street, and everyone met to spruce up Mill Park at the end of the day.

“The Girl Scouts have been working with the town beautification committee for the past couple of years to take care of Mill Park,” DeOlden said. “The troops take turns during the summer planting flowers, weeding and pruning back in the fall. There wasn’t a lot of litter in the park because we’ve been staying on top of it.”

DeOlden said that many passersby expressed their appreciation with a honk and a wave, something that meant a lot to her and to the scouts.

“It was really nice when people stopped to thank the girls because then it clicked for them,” DeOlden said. “You could see the wheels turning that ‘hey, maybe this isn’t so much fun picking up trash, but people really appreciate it, people who maybe can’t get out and do it themselves.’ You just never know — it might turn out to be a lifelong habit for them.”

Such is the case for Glenn Caslick, who has been collecting trash in front of his home on Millard Hill Road for almost 25 years. In 1998, he started working with the Tompkins County Adopt-A-Highway program, which provides safety training, supplies like vests and trash bags and free disposal of collected trash along county roads.

“I formed the Pick-Up Pacers group with my friends John and Dorothy Sholeen,” Caslick recalls. “We adopted all 4 miles of Millard Hill Road from Route 13 to Trumbull Corners. We’d take bags with us on our walks and pick up litter along the way.”

Caslick recruited many helpers over the years, but volunteers tend to come and go. Even the Sholeens eventually moved out of the area, leaving Caslick holding the (bright orange trash) bag.

“In 2020, I cut back to the lower section of Millard, up to Burdge Hill,” Caslick said. “I just can’t do the whole thing by myself.”

Asked if he is currently looking for help, Caslick said he is comfortable covering this reduced area as part of his weekly routine. He does, however, encourage others to adopt their own section of road by contacting Tompkins County Adopt-A-Highway program.

His only other request?

“Please, if you see someone on the side of the road or scrambling out of a ditch with a trash bag, slow down or move over for everyone’s safety,” Caslick said.

Nancy Dolge is another Newfielder who has been bitten by the “litter bug.”

“One year, I just got so upset at the amount of trash on the side of the road once the snow melted,” Dolge said. “I figured this was an issue that I could do something about. It is gratifying to see immediate results of your efforts.”

Originally concentrating on her immediate neighborhood, Dolge has been working with the New York State Department of Transportation Adopt-A-Highway program for the past eight years.

“I started helping out Ray Wheaton’s group along Route 13, from the old union hall to Shady Corners,” Dolge said. “It wasn’t technically in Newfield, but it is an area that I drive regularly and it definitely needed attention.”

In 2021, Dolge signed up for her own section of highway, Route 34/96 between Shady Corners and Blakeslee Hill Road. She schedules a work party each spring, recruits volunteers to assist her and picks up gloves and vests from the state highway office in Cortland.

“I’ve got nine people signed up this year,” Dolge said. “If anyone would like to join us next year, let me know!”

If you’d like to get involved, there is always a need. Keep it simple by picking up your own yard and road front. If you collect trash on a town road (rather than a county or state highway), call Newfield Highway Superintendent Kevin Berggren, and he’ll be happy to pick up the bags. Or contact one of these organizations to find out what more you can do:

• Newfield Beautification Committee, (607) 564-9981 or rbrown@tompkins-co.org
• Tompkins County Adopt-A-Highway, (607) 274-0300
• NYS Department of Transportation Adopt-A-Highway, (607) 756-7072

Newfield Notes appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.

In brief:

Newfield school budget vote, board election

May 17 is the date for the annual school district budget vote and the election of school board members. Vote in the elementary school lower gym from noon to 9 p.m. Four candidates — Christina Ward, Shana Claar, Diana Griffin and Michael Jordan — are running for four vacant seats.

To meet the candidates and get more information on the proposed budget, everyone is invited to attend a meeting on May 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the elementary school’s Weaver Conference Room (also available on YouTube). In addition, check your mailboxes for the budget brochure, which will be sent to district households on May 6.