Looking For Volunteers - This Saturday!

The cities of Menasha and Neenah are offering a fun and terrifically important project for our annual Doty Island Clean-Up Day (This Saturday, 8am, Meet at Youth Go- Neenah), one that ties in beautifully with our mission: in addition to picking up trash along our streets /parks, we’re going to PAINT stencils or murals next to SIX sewer drains on the Island (3 in Neenah, 3 in Menasha). These ‘signs’ may include a variety of mural-like pictures or sayings promoting awareness of just how important it is to keep our drains clear of debris.

This clever idea stems from the hard fact that our drinking and surface water is affected by pollution. Leaves and grasses hold phosphorous; reducing that phosphorous is vital to keeping our water clean. Yes, those grates take in water that drains directly to our lakes and rivers, and that water eventually becomes our drinking water. Sometimes we can forget just how that process works. Being mindful of this is imperative in helping to keep our water safe to drink. Making sure drains are not clogged with debris – nature’s excess as well as human negligence - is also what cleaning up the trash on the Island is about! Along with beautification, the proposed signage next to the drains will help keep us all aware.

Civil Engineer Laura Jungwirth, who works for the city of Menasha, is committed to storm water awareness. Seeing projects like this through is Laura’s passion, and is one of several core requirements of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Laura is making sure that public education and outreach makes an impact on the city. Another DNR permit requirement (for cities of 10,000 or more people) is public involvement and participation. Laura’s idea of murals and stencils for Doty Island is one way to promote awareness, and what a worthy project it will be for our Clean-up Day on Saturday, May 1.

Cost for this fun venture will be split by the cities; all paint supplies and stencils will be on hand at Doty Island’s Clean-Up Day (See below for date/time). Guidance will be provided. Safety measures will be in place.

See you all on Saturday, May 1, 8:00 a.m. for a 3-hour (or less) project. Meet at Youth Go's parking lot for the kickoff. DIDC will be providing Shellattes Coffee and Manderfields Donuts! The event ends by 11am.