Help Clean Old Plank Road Trail On National Trails Day

FRANKFORT, IL — The Forest Preserve District of Will County will hold a clean-up event on June 4, along the Old Plank Road Trail, to celebrate National Trails Day weekend.

“This is the second year we are hosting litter cleanup opportunities for National Trails Day,” Emily Kenny, the Forest Preserve’s volunteer services supervisor, said in a release. “We have two different times and locations for people to sign up."

The Old Plank Road trail clean-up will be held from noon to 2 p.m. on June 4, and volunteers can meet at the intersection of Constitution and Schoolhouse, just off Old Plank Road Trail. Only a short section of the paved 22-mile trail will be covered. There is a parking lot on Constitution Road, just off Schoolhouse Road, the preserve said.

The Forest Preserve will provide buckets, grabbers, gloves and bags to use during the event. All ages and abilities are welcome to attend.

National Trails Day is a day of service for trails, and has been hosted by the American Hiking Society since 1993.

Kenny encouraged trail fans to sign up for one of the volunteer opportunities in an effort to keep the Forest Preserve paths natural and litter-free.

“Unfortunately, litter affects our preserves and trails year-round, so volunteer services hosts litter cleanups each quarter,” she said in a release. “The ‘leave it better than you found it’ mindset is something we all can adhere to whenever we are outdoors. Everyone should be able to experience nature without the distractions of litter.”

Path users want to see nature, not litter on their hikes or bike rides, she added.

"For me, once I see it, if I don't pick it up I'm unable to enjoy my ‘nature time,’" Kenny said in a release. "There is also a sense of accomplishment that comes from seeing everything you were able to properly dispose of. Maybe someone will see me cleaning up and think twice the next time they walk past a bottle on a trail, or they will wait to put their own trash in a garbage can instead of on the ground."

To participate in the cleanup events, volunteers must complete a waiver and state which trail or trails they will be cleaning up. Those who participate in the cleanups have a chance of winning buffs donated by Duluth Trading Co., the preserve said.