Community Corner
Earth Day: Residents Clean Up Underwood Creek
As part of Milwaukee Riverkeepers' 17th annual Spring River Cleanup, residents picked up trash around Underwood Creek near Krueger Park in Brookfield Saturday. A car bumper and small animal skull carcass were among the finds.
The most prevalent nuisance found in Saturday morning's cleanup around Underwood Creek was not plastic bottles or bags but invasive weeds.
Jason Riemer, 25, of Elm Grove, lugged a 40-pound black garbage bag of garlic mustard back to the parking lot and grabbed another bag to collect more.
"I feel like I haven't even made a dent," Riemer said. "That's all I'm focusing on."
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The cleanup at Krueger and Harvery Park in Brookfield was one of some 50 sites around southeastern Wisconsin that were part of the Milwaukee Riverkeepers' 17th annual Spring River Cleanup. Sunday is Earth Day.
Peter Overholt, an organizer from Wauwatosa, said his review of the Brookfield site found it was not teeming with trash. He agreed weeds that endanger other plants was the biggest problem.
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Cathy Stehr said she and her family live nearby and know the park and creek area inside and out. "(Invasive weeds at) this park are so out of control," she said, flanked by her son, Tommy, 8; daughter, Kate, 11 and dog Lazlo.
Not far from the Krueger Park cleanup site, other volunteers were working Saturday morning to pull garlic mustard from the area around the Dousman Stagecoach Inn Museum.
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But back at Krueger, some volunteers found other items during the cleanup: corrogated cardboard, carpet and the skull carcass of a small animal, perhaps a fox.
Overholt said one couple found a car bumper near the Target store construction site. It was too heavy to move and they were waiting for others to help retrieve it.
Among those volunteering Saturday morning were members of the in Brookfield and 's Environmental Club, which was created this year.
One club member — Austin Preman, 18, of Brookfield — echoed what others said about why they made the cleanup part of their weekend.
"I like the environment so I'm doing my part to clean up the community," Preman said.
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