On May 31, 2025, over 100 volunteers of all ages gathered at Vermijo Park in Old Colorado City as part of the City’s inaugural Keep it Clean COS initiative. Members from the Trails and Open Space Coalition, City of Colorado Springs Public Works, Colorado Springs Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team, the Mayor’s Office and several other local organizations gathered to pick up trash along the Midland Trail.
“What’s going on?” a resident asked.
It was 9 a.m., a sunny morning following a rainy week. She was stepping outside her gate to walk a dog as I prepared to join the growing crowd across the field. I explained it was part of the City’s initiative to host trash clean-up events in the city.
“Thank you so much,” she responded, her face brightening with a smile.
For the next couple of hours, we split off towards 31st and 8th Streets along the Midland Trail with garbage bags and pickers to see what treasures we might find. My group headed east along Fountain Creek. Nearing Highway 24, our group split again to pick trash from both sides of the fence. Some headed towards the highway while others kept to the north side of the fence along Naegele Road.
In my quest for trash, I had to settle on priorities. Do I focus on the largest items, or pursue every piece of non-vegetation? Do I stay along the road or in the denser growth near the fences? In the end, it was head to the ground, a piece at a time, looking up periodically to see what was ahead and where others already were to guide the next pursuit.
I rarely came across a fully intact aluminum can or plastic cup – they were more often shredded, prompting a decision on how small of a piece to retrieve. I took comfort that those ahead and behind would find what I overlooked, just as I was doing for them. Coming upon partially buried objects, I weighed whether I should let Mother Nature finish the job or expend extra effort to excavate. Styrofoam and plastic snack wrappers – the least biodegradable of the items – were the most intact.
Nearing the busy road, I braced for the possibility that one of the passing cars might spew some trash, but thankfully, I was spared. Perhaps those who might have chucked garbage were deterred by our presence.
Along the fence, the vegetation often obscured larger objects and made it difficult to see which side they were on. One old shrub had aggressively embedded itself into the fence while plastic wrap interwove itself in the taller grass. Picking up one hidden bottle, I heard a voice from the other side.
“I saw that and was glad you were able to get it,” he said.
Later, I tried to squeeze a can through the fence, eventually forcing myself to greet a fellow volunteer on the other side and let her complete the task – the fence that divided us also brought us together, which seemed symbolic of the day.
It is in the trenches that we begin to grasp the whole. – Jon Huang
Near the road lay a car bumper with a shattered signal light cover from a motor vehicle accident. Picking up the pieces, I wondered what happened to the people involved, what they had experienced leading up to and after and, in our darkest moments, what messes we’ve all left for others. Stuffing the last of the debris into my bag, I released this link to a neighbor I had never known.
Through the hole in the fence, I crossed back over towards Naegele Road while feeling the growing bulk of the bag over my shoulder.
“Can I take your bag?” said a friendly voice.
A City employee had pulled up alongside me in his pickup truck.
“Do you have another?” I asked.
He handed me a fresh black bag.
Thankful for the camaraderie, I continued along the sidewalk, glancing at those behind me, wondering what things they found that I did not. Even in service to our city, we each gravitate towards some things more than others, and that is beautiful.
Up ahead, an older volunteer came across a decomposing deer carcass just off the highway. The flies vigorously swarmed, and the rotting smell was relentless. He dragged the half-eaten carcass towards the road as nearby volunteers shuffled away. Thank goodness for the motorized teams who would remove it.
Closer to the creek, I came across remnants of an old encampment. An old traffic cone, larger plastic bags, empty milk jugs and half-decomposed food packaging were piled within layers of dirt. Sorting through the collection, I felt both a tangible and metaphoric struggle between making space and holding boundaries in our society, and the grace all of it requires.
From local businesses, residents, and the unhoused who all pass through, these complex issues are no secret. Yet, it is in the trenches that we begin to grasp the whole – recognizing that for everything good, sacrifice is essential.
In total, the event retrieved over 3,000 pounds of trash. Organizers plan to hold monthly events.
Community Affairs Advisor to the Mayor’s Office Thomas Thompson welcomed those wishing to host similar events in their neighborhoods to contact him as the City would provide dumpsters, bags and gloves.
A long-time resident once told me how whenever she was on the trails, she always made it a habit to pick up trash whenever she came across it.
“In the end, I can’t control people’s actions,” she said, “but I can leave a place better than I found it in hope that by keeping a place clean, it will inspire enough others who follow to do the same.”
For all of us who love this city, let’s work together, go and do likewise.
For more information on future events and other ways to get involved in clean-up events, check out ColoradoSprings.gov/KeepItClean.
