Dilworth Youth Environmental Club Host Little Sugar Creek Clean-Up

May 1, 2009 (Charlotte, NC) – Little Sugar Creek at Freedom Park received a bit of a face lift yesterday afternoon as students from the Dilworth Youth Environmental Club hosted their first ever creek clean-up.  The picture-perfect weather also drew out residents from the Dilworth Neighborhood for the two hour event.

Volunteers walked on foot along the creek bank and through the water to remove trash, junk and debris, along with a few indescribable items.  An estimated 15 bags of material were collected during the afternoon.

“People’s involvement yesterday with the removal of garbage from Little Sugar Creek shows great initiative and care for our watershed and community,” said Catawba Riverkeeper David Merryman.

Little Sugar Creek is an urban watershed that begins above Cordelia Park, just north of Uptown and runs through the city across the South Carolina line.  Though it is in the middle of the city, the creek is home to a great diversity of wildlife.  From Great Blue Heron to ducks and geese, many types of animals rely on the creek habitat for survival.  Being an urban watershed, the creek suffers many pollution problems.  Trash from the streets washes down storm drains and into Little Sugar Creek.  Sometimes people even dump large items into the creek so they don’t have to pay for disposal.  This pollution  adversely affect the wildlife, water quality and the beauty of this natural resource.

Unfortunately, littering and illegal dumping are ongoing problems,” said Craig Colistra, Recreation Specialist for Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation – who supervised the clean-up along with the Catawba Riverkeeper.  “Not only did the students join hands to make an impact in the health of Little Sugar Creek, but residents of Dilworth who understand how important and necessary it is to keep our park clean.”

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