KINGMAN – Dedicated nature enthusiasts beat the first winter storm of 2021 to clean up trash at White Cliffs Wagon Trail Saturday.
Kingman Main Street, an organization of local volunteers and business owners dedicated to downtown revitalization, held a monthly gathering to rid the trails located north of downtown Kingman of various assortments of litter. Twelve helpers, adults and children, including three people from Lake Havasu City, scoured the trails for about two hours starting at 10 a.m.
They collected three full bags and a few tinier bags of garbage, most of which was dog waste and broken glass.
The trail has needed love and now it’s getting it.
Gina Gavazzi, Program Coordinator for Kingman Main Street, and other KMS volunteers live in the downtown area and knew what they were up against when they decided to make an effort to regularly clean the trails. She moved to Kingman from Pennsylvania for a full-time position through the AmeriCorps VISTA program and she’s about 10 months into a year of service.
“We knew it was a popular spot for people to go drink,” she said. “The first time we went out, there was plenty of trash, broken glass and beer cans.”
According to Gavassi and other volunteers, finding more dog waste and broken glass than other types of litter has been the norm since the group started regularly patrolling the area last year.
KMS adopted White Cliffs Wagon Trail through the City of Kingman Parks Department’s Adopt-a-Trail program in October 2020 and Saturday’s gathering was the fourth monthly cleanup. The group has planned a year of trash patrols for the third Saturday of each month through 2021. The next is scheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 20.
KMS brings most of the cleanup supplies such as gloves, trash bags, claw-style garbage grabbers and even poop-scoops but they encourage volunteers to bring their own supplies.
“We’re seeing improvements for sure,” Gavassi said. “It’s gotten better every month we go.”
KMS highly encourages those using the trails to take pride in what they have.
“Our community is so lucky to have a place with historical significance and natural beauty so close to downtown,” Gavassi said. “I hope that more people take the time to learn why this trail is so special and see how they can take care of it.”
Pets are required to be leashed at White Cliffs, but anyone who has hiked the area knows that isn’t always a reality.
There was light discussion about building a doggie disposal bag station similar to ones located at Kingman’s dog parks, but that idea is a bit down the road.
Along with a new information kiosk and an improved bridge at the beginning of the trailhead, more improvements are planned, including linking mountain bike trails from the Cerbat Foothills Recreation Area to White Cliffs Wagon Trail. American Conservation Experience teams from Flagstaff have been working on trail expansions over the last few weeks.
Kingman Main Street has volunteer opportunities for a range of interests and skill levels. They focus on downtown revitalization. For those wanting to join the effort, you can ‘like’ them on Facebook, join their email list, or check out the website at kingmanmainstreet.com.
Aaron Ricca
