Boy Scouts help preserve path's beauty

Wheaton Boy Scouts hauled tires, bricks and cables from along the Illinois Prairie Path Saturday.

Armed with garbage and recycling bags, the boys scoured the trail, looking for anything not typically found in nature, as part of the annual cleanup event in conjunction with Earth Day.

"You guys are good. That wasn't somebody's lawn sprinkling system was it?" Scoutmaster Tim Byam asked jokingly as the Scouts hauled several feet of broken black hose out of the trees.

The Scouts were among nearly 200 volunteers in Wheaton alone on Saturday, the city's 13th year participating in the cleanup.

Around the suburbs, hundreds more volunteers were pitching in to beautify all 62 miles of trails.

"They're really the backbone of the event," said Ray Bartels, president of the Illinois Prairie Path not-for-profit corporation.

Erin Snow and her friend Jessica Thompson were at the cleanup for the first time. They ride their bikes on the path so they decided to help out.

"We had a flier and thought it would be good to help take care of the planet," said Snow, as she held a small bag of beer bottles and newspapers she'd retrieved.

In the early days, volunteers would find large items such as mattress coils, motors, fencing, old bikes and other oddities, but the message seems to be getting across that the path is not a dumping ground.

"Over the last few years the garbage has really decreased," said Tracy Vought, Prairie Path coordinator for Wheaton. "There still is garbage but not of that magnitude."

But any amount of litter is too much for the path's regulars like Holly and Chris Kelson of Wheaton.

The two knew they'd find trash to pick up where the path meets busier parts of town, such as near the train station.

"People that don't use the path don't think of the path and throw cigarette butts -- my pet peeve -- or other things on the ground," Chris said.

Since the couple runs and bikes on the path regularly, they volunteer each year to help clean it up, hoping to preserve it for years to come.

"It's a beautiful path," Holly said. "People really need to be aware of it and take care of it."