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| 6/24/2006 |
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For More Information Contact:
Julianne Repman, ODOT Public Affairs, 541.388.6224
Heidi Hiaasen, ODOT Project Communications, 541.388.6178
Adopt-A-Highway Volunteers Honored Saturday
The Oregon Department of Transportation will honor Central Oregon Adopt-A-Highway Program volunteers Saturday with a luncheon celebration. This volunteer recognition event will take place on June 24 from 11 am to 1 pm and is being hosted by Outback Steakhouse, located at 1180 SE 3rd Street in Bend.
Individuals and groups are encouraged to drop by the event to sign up for the adoption of one or more two-mile sections of central Oregon highways.
Two teams, Crossroads Property Owners of Sisters and Mt. Resort Properties of Sunriver, will be recognized for their 15 years of volunteer service. Nearly 40 additional individual and group teams will be recognized for more than 10 years of volunteer service with the program.
About Adopt-A-Highway
More than 140 volunteer groups take care of nearly 500 miles of roadside in the central Oregon area, but 450 miles of highways, especially in rural areas, are in need of volunteer care.
Volunteers picked up about 5,000 bags - or 62 tons of garbage - in this area in 2005. Each section of road a volunteer group takes care of is one less section that ODOT hires a crew to clean or goes unpicked when funds become scarce. Volunteers in Central Oregon provide $100,000 of service.
Adopt-A-Highway was started statewide in 1991 to allow citizens who are concerned with Oregon’s environment an opportunity to control litter and improve the appearance of the state highway system.
Individuals or groups commit to taking care of their section of the road for two years, picking up litter at least four separate days a year. Participates must be age 16 or older and receive training prior to beginning litter pick up. ODOT provides training, portable signs, safety vests, litter bags, hazardous waste flags, and disposal of the garbage. Permanent Adopt-A-Highway acknowledgement signs are installed after the group’s initial litter pickup.
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