Adopt-A-Highway Volunteers Honored in Raleigh County

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Adopt-A-Highway program volunteers were honored this weekend at a special day-long celebration at Tamarack in Raleigh County.

The awards presented were: 

        - Adopt-A-Highway Volunteer of the Year: Kathy Hornsby of Raleigh County for her continued dedication to the goals of Adopt-A-Highway and her efforts to organize cleanup events; 
        - Lifetime Achievement: Spanishburg Ruritan Club of Mercer County, for collecting approximately 1,219 bags of litter since 1991; 
        - Most Active Group: Lincoln Triangle Residents of Hancock County, for holding seven cleanup events since Sept. 2015; 
        - Most Litter Collected in One Year: Greg and Juanita Ross and Family, for collecting more than 130 bags of litter; 
        - Grandfather Awards for groups who have shown years of dedication to the goals of the Adopt-A-Highway program: 
            o Bowers Farms USA of Pendleton County, participants since 1994; 
            o Community United Methodist Church of Monongalia County, participants since 1989; 
            o Cox and Cox of Ritchie County, participants since 1989; 
            o Dyer Pioneer 4H Club of Webster County, participants since 1989; 
            o Ellamore Volunteer Fire Department of Randolph County, participants since 1992; 
            o Enon Baptist Church #1 of Greenbrier County, participants since 1990; 
            o Enon Baptist Church #2 of Greenbrier County, participants since 1996; 
            o High Country Garden Club #1 of Fayette County, participants since 1989; 
            o High Country Garden Club #2 of Fayette County, participants since 1989; 
            o Izaak Walton League of Randolph County, participants since 1989; 
            o Joe’s Run Crusaders 4H of Jackson County, participants since 1996; 
            o McDowell County Correctional Facility, participants since 1993; 
            o Mill Creek Saw Shop of Hampshire County, participants since 1993; 
            o Renick Ruritan Club of Greenbrier County, participants since 1993; 
            o Sinks Grove CEOS of Monroe County, participants since 1989; 
            o Spanishburg Ruritan Club of Mercer County, participants since 1991.

Adopt-A-Highway is administered by the WVDEP’s Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan (REAP) group in conjunction with the Division of Highways. Individuals, families, churches, businesses, schools, civic organizations, government agencies, and communities can register to pick up trash on almost any state-maintained road, back road, or main route. Private roads and interstate highways cannot be adopted through the program.

Adopt-A-Highway, which began in 1988, helps ensure that thousands of miles of roads are free of litter. Adopt-A-Highway volunteers recycle about 10,000 pounds of glass, 8,000 pounds of aluminum, and 5,000 pounds of plastic each year. Currently more than 40,000 volunteers representing more than 1,400 organizations keep more than 3,300 miles of West Virginia roads litter free.

For more DEP news and information, go to www.dep.wv.gov. Also, be sure to connect with the agency on all social media platforms. Follow @DEPWV on Twitter and find us on YouTube by searching “Environment Matters.” For specific information about our REAP (Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan), West Virginia Project WET (Water Education for Teachers), West Virginia Watershed Improvement Branch, Youth Environmental Program and Human Resources initiatives, connect on Facebook.