As part of the annually observed 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, volunteers from the Shafer and Freeman Lakes Environmental Conservation Corporation (SFLECC), the Monticello Kiwanis Club, the Monticello Rotary, the Monticello Christian Church, and several other local citizens participated in a one hour clean up of the river banks of a section of the Tippecanoe River between Lakes Freeman and Shafer. The cleanup took place on Sept. 12 and the area cleared was the half mile section just below the Norway Dam Bridge.

Trash and litter that would have ultimately been swept down into Lake Freeman was bagged and located for later pickup by Indiana Waste Systems. Organizer Lee Kreul, a SFLECC board member, said 28 people participated in the event.

“This being our first cleanup under the Adopt-ARiver program, I was very happy to see so many people turn out,” said Kreul.

Participant Shawn Ireland stated that his reason for taking part in the cleanup was “to give a little bit back to the lakes that have given me so much pleasure over the years.”

The next Adopt-A-River Tippecanoe River Cleanup is scheduled for Earth Day 2010 on April 17.