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Tuesday, October 13, 2009
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Talking trash College alums keep in touch by keeping highways clean Staff Writer There's a science to picking up garbage.
And Bethany Lutheran College Friends have learned this science through picking up litter along two state highways through the Minnesota Department of Transportation's Adopt a Highway program.
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Judy and Dave Teigen, who are brother- and sister-in-laws, recently collected trash along Highway 371 near the Nokasippi River area. The Teigens are part of the Bethany Lutheran College Friends in the Adopt a Highway public service program. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
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The friends, a group of senior citizens in the Brainerd lakes area who are Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato alumni, have been collecting litter for three years along Highway 371 in Crow Wing County and Highway 64 in Cass County.
"There's a method to picking up trash," Norman Teigen, a seasonal resident of Lower Hay Lake and leader of the group, said. "Let's pick up the trash and get out of here ... That's our motto."
Teigen has become a trash collecting expert as he's currently responsible for picking up trash along 22 miles of Minnesota highways. Teigen, whose year-round home is in Hopkins, not only has an Adopt a Highway group in the lakes area, but he has groups in Eden Prairie and Nicollet County.
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Bethany Lutheran College Friends, a group of alumni from the college in Mankato, have been involved in the Adopt a Highway public service program for three years. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
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Teigen's group consists of 15 volunteers who pick up trash in the spring and again in the fall. Not all the volunteers make it to every pickup. This past fall, on a cool, sunny day, Teigen and his wife, Judy; his brother, Dave Teigen, of Pine River; and Bob Smith, also of Pine River, collected trash along a two-mile stretch of Highway 371 near the Nokasippi River.
The group met at Caribou Coffee in Baxter for a cup of coffee before they started their day collecting garbage. They spent two hours and collected nearly 20 bags of garbage in the northbound ditch of the highway. Norman and Dave Teigen collected garbage in the southbound ditch a day earlier.
The group of five each put on their lime green safety vests provided to them by MnDOT and their gloves before collecting garbage. The group had two garbage bins on wheels, a bucket and bags to place the garbage.
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Norman Teigen, a seasonal resident of Lower Hay Lake, recently collected trash along Highway 371 near the Nokasippi River area as part of the Bethany Lutheran College Friends in the Adopt a Highway public service program. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
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"When we have a small group like this we have a bagger and a collector," said Teigen. "When collecting garbage we use this rake to pick up the garbage to save our backs from bending down each time. We just pick it up and put it in the bin and it's done."
Once the bins and buckets are full the garbage is placed in the garbage bags that are tied and placed along the highway for MnDOT to pick up.
The group said they're involved with the Adopt a Highway program because they feel it is their civic duty to keep the highways clean to protect the environment. They also do it for the socialization.
"It's fun and it's good exercise," said Sandy Teigen. "We all have a good time."
The group collects a lot of empty beer cans, liquor bottles and cigarette cartons in the ditches and shoulders of the highways. They also find a lot of vehicle parts, such as blown-out tires and hub caps. One time, Norman Teigen found a wallet with $100 in it.
"They (MnDOT) tell us whatever we find along the highway is ours to keep or it's garbage, but I couldn't keep the money," said Teigen. "I found out whose wallet it was, called him and I gave it back to him. He gave me $20 for doing it. I'm a good Lutheran. I couldn't keep that money, it wouldn't have been right."
But the group does find treasures from time to time, including a fishing lure at a recent collecting event.
Mary Nieken, MnDOT Adopt a Highway coordinator, said Bethany Lutheran College Friends has been a good volunteer group. She said they take the job seriously and get it done, even if they only have one or two volunteers available to clean the highway that particular day.
"Norman likes to give me (litter pickup) tips on ways that work for them to share with other groups," said Nieken. "He always tries to make it easier for other groups. He's a pro and very enthusiastic."
Nieken said Highway 64 in Cass County is one of the hardest highways to clean because of its slopes. She said Tiegen's group volunteered to do a portion of Highway 64, 10 miles south of Backus to help MnDOT.
Nieken said MnDot's Adopt a Highway public service program for District 3A includes highways in Crow Wing, Cass, Aitkin, Wadena, Todd and Morrison counties and a small portion of Itasca County. Nieken said the district has had good luck with volunteers and about 12-15 sections are open for adoption, which is lower than other parts of the state.
Nieken said groups commit to a two-mile stretch of highway for two years. In District 3A, there are 1,600 miles of highway that need to be cleaned and as of Aug. 1 there were 713 active groups. Nieken said of those groups, 69 have been involved in the program since 1990.
Any community group, church, business or individuals who want to adopt a highway can contact Nieken at MnDOT at 828-5700. Nieken said highways open for adoption in District 3A are Highway 64, Highway 27 in Elmdale and Onamia areas and Highway 47 in Hill City and Ogilvie areas.
For more information on the Adopt a Highway program go to www.dot.state.mn.us.
JENNIFER STOCKINGER may be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.
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