A lesson in civics

Last Thursday, we ran a photo highly similar to the one at left -- depicting the bazillion or so plastic bags spilled along Highway 14A earlier this month.

In the cutline, we mentioned that the bags had since been removed. By who (or what gust of wind), we weren't sure.

But after we went to press, I got confirmation that intrepid volunteers from the Powell Education Association were behind the clean up. It seems only right to give them a hat tip for their nice work (and great clean-up timing) after not getting it in the paper.

Of course, while that area's cleansing may be most noticeable, the Education Association is just one of hundreds of groups across Wyoming doing their spring litter pick up.

They're all volunteers under the Wyoming Department of Transportation's Adopt-a-Highway program. Park County has a solid number of volunteers; the entire 70-mile stretch from Powell to Yellowstone is adopted, said WyDOT public involvement specialist Cody Beers.

But even with the help of unpaid picker-uppers, WyDOT says the state still spends $1.6 million disposing of litter each year.

In other words, we need people to stop throwing -- and losing -- junk from their vehicles.

"We all need to work together to keep our roads clean,” said Beers. “It really is an exercise in personal responsibility.”