By KRISTI MAYFIELD
kmayfield@oakdaleleader.com
This past Friday, it was a group effort focused on the Stanislaus River.
Eddie Eagleton of Oakdale Refrigeration Heating and Air Conditioning, along with his friend David Down of Expedition Apogee, and representatives from the ASTRO (Animal Shelter To Riverbank and Oakdale) Foundation Inc. in Oakdale spent a few hours on Feb. 7 cleaning up along the river near Cost Less on North Yosemite Avenue and the surrounding area. Eagleton, an Oakdale native, said that part of his commitment to cleaning up this area is because he grew up fishing and boating down the river and now shares the same activities with his family and wants to preserve the river and the surrounding landscape for future generations. Eagleton has spent more than 10 years cleaning and removing things from the river.
For events like this, he posts the information on Facebook or other social media platforms and volunteer workers from various groups, such as those from Expedition Apogee and ASTRO Foundation, step up to help. Eagleton comes in and cuts pathways through the overgrown brush so that volunteers can walk through and collect various debris that has collected along the banks of the river. He also helps when there are items that are too large to be removed by hand such as mattresses, recliners and other items that cannot be carried out by volunteers.
Megan Scoullar, Director of Adoption Services at ASTRO Foundation, said she enjoys events like this because they are such a great way for people to get out and connect while helping to beautify the local area. Scoullar and her fellow volunteers spent more than three hours working to clear litter and garbage from the banks of the Stanislaus River while also meeting some furry friends along the way including a couple of cats that were hanging out watching them work.
Eagleton plans on hosting more events in the future and hopes to see many new faces out there helping to keep Oakdale and the riverside areas clean. For more information about the next event, which is coming up on March 8, visit https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=9288701761218127&set=a.114255078662887
