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Small highway segment yields wealth of information
about motorists drive on U.S. 95
Volume more than makes up for distance in Adopt-A-Highway cleanups

If roads could talk, what would they say?

Larry and Sherry Mundt find messages in abundance as they clean a one-mile segment of U.S. 95 about four miles south of Coeur d’'Alene. Debris that was unintentionally lost or carelessly left behind speaks volumes about the people who travel the highway.

“Over the past 14 years, we have salvaged quite a diverse collection of loot, including entire sets of screw drivers, wrenches, bungee cords, ratchet straps and beach towels,” Sherry wrote recently.

The Idaho Transportation Department selected the Mundts and their cadre of cleaners the Adopt-A-Highway group of the year for District 1 in northern Idaho. The honor was formally bestowed in Coeur d’Alene this week during the transportation board’'s monthly business meeting.

For their efforts, the Mundts received a certificate, a clock fashioned from an Idaho license plate and the thanks of District 1 board member Jim Coleman and his fellow board members.

Unlike many volunteer groups that adopt highway segments of two miles or more, the Mundts assume responsibility for the short stretch between mileposts 425 and 426. But volume more than makes up for distance. The group collected 1,610 pounds of litter in 2006, surpassing the amount of litter often gathered from longer highway stretches.

The Mundts have been part of the statewide highway cleanup effort since 1994. Often Larry and Sherry are the only volunteers, although as many as nine have joined them along U.S. 95. “We find the litter annoying,” Sherry admits. “It gives us great pleasure to clean it up, even if we can only enjoy the fruits of our labor just a short time before it’is messy again.”

Perhaps they could start their own financial institution using assets found along the highway. They have recovered wallets, personal checks, money orders, cashier's checks, gift certificates and cash. Many of the items were successfully returned to grateful owners.

They also discovered a large case of medical supplies that fell from a delivery truck. The Mundts contacted the company and arranged for a pickup and re-delivery of the supplies.

In one instance, the volunteers actually became their brother's keeper, or at least their brother-in-law's. While cleaning along the highway they discovered an entire set of luggage they vowed to return to its rightful owner… Further inspection revealed the pieces belonged to their brother-in-law.

Intangible rewards sometimes offer lessons in human nature and can become tangible.

“"My fondest memory was the time I was picking up trash with eight little girls in my horse club on Mica Flats," recalls Sherry. “"A motorist waved and smiled at (the girls) and then seemed to pull ahead and empty his car of trash.

“"I explained to my annoyed kids the importance of their job and to stay focused in spite of that discouraging display. But I regretted my every negative thought when we arrived at that spot and found dollar bills scattered for the girls. The eight bucks the Good Samaritan spent brought smiles and giggles and years of fond memories.”

ITD’'s statewide Adopt-A-Highway program organizes the cleaning of Idaho roadsides by volunteer groups. Those groups “adopt” a specific stretch of highway –-- usually two miles long –-- and take responsibility for keeping it clean through regular litter patrols.

More than 1,100 groups spent approximately 30,000-person hours statewide gathering litter in 2006, removing an estimated 806,000 pounds of litter from Idaho’'s roadsides. About 50 percent of state highways have been adopted, leaving ample opportunities for other groups and individuals to become involved.

The volume of material collected from the shoulders of Idaho makes a tremendous difference in the appearance of Idaho’s highways, said statewide AAH coordinator, Sherie Sweaney.

Volunteers collected more than 3.1 million pounds of litter, resulting in a savings to the state of more than a quarter-million dollars that can be applied to other projects that improve safety and driving conditions.

For more information about adopting a stretch of highway, contact Sweaney at (800) 443-2878.