Nonprofit Created in Part to Keep Litter out of Waterways
Chillicothe — As part of the recent awareness of homeless camps, the former director of the local park system has scheduled another camp litter cleanup this Saturday.
Joe Letsche, previous director of the Ross County Park District, has moved away but still volunteers locally. He created the nonprofit “Clean the Streams Southern Ohio” in part to tackle litter before it is washed into streams and rivers.
His next planned cleanup is June 28th, along the Scioto River behind the Shawnee Square mall off North Bridge Street, in cooperation with Centerpoint Church there.
He explained that, in my interview with him at the opening of the Herron-Downs Preserve on Friday. Hear his description starting about halfway through the video, below.
Learn more in his “Clean the Streams Southern Ohio” Facebook page. One of the videos he’s posted there is a good overview of an abandoned homeless camp before cleanup, and Letsche’s observations on what he’s found cleaning up such camps.
In the video he says “we really try not to worry about who should be cleaning this stuff up, or whose fault it is, what the politics are, and who’s to blame – we just want to get it cleaned up before it gets dispersed into nature.
“So, thank you to everyone who saves the bitching and supports the effort…”
Another local naturalist has assisted on camp cleanups. On Mother’s Day, Amy Fitton delivered on her offer to coordinate a cleanup of homeless camps around Chillicothe.
Chillicothe Council was the focus of noisy criticism when they proposed an ordinance to change penalties for camping on city land, which was passed, vetoed, but then on May 12th the veto was overridden.
