Mead runners give back
Cross country teams clean up Waikiki Springs area trails
The high-energy teams of Mead High School cross country runners spend a lot of training time on the trails near Waikiki Springs, running repeatedly up its hillsides and cruising its flats.
Last week they instead filled plastic bags with trash and recyclables and rolled abandoned tires up the trails as part of the second annual cleanup of the undeveloped property between Mill Road and the Little Spokane River, just blocks from their school.
About 60 students participated in the cleanup on Oct. 2, organized by Waikiki View Ridge Homeowners Association member Marion Severud.
“I think it’s kind of cool that we’re part of making the community better,” said Mead High School runner and junior Katherine Rahn.
Much of the refuse consisted of beer cans and cigarette butts, but students found shoes, inflatable rafts, golf balls, clothing, a rigged-up fishing pole and more, filling several dozen trash bags.
The cross country teams made quick and happy work of the project, joking and singing songs on their way up and down the hillside.
The Waikiki Springs property is a winding collection of woodland paths that culminate at an open, marshy meadow leading to the Little Spokane River. Natural springs emerge from the hillside as bubbling streams.
Most of the property is owned by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, although students also cleaned up a section of neighboring private property.
The trails are heavily used by joggers, nature lovers and dog walkers. They’ve unfortunately also seen more than their fair share of drinking parties and illegal camping and fires, said neighbors Ginny Davis and Norma Smith.
“It’s terrible. People are leaving trash,” Davis said.
Davis, Smith and fellow neighbor Amber Lockett were on hand at the cleanup to reward the students’ efforts with cookies, brownies and other goodies.
Lowell Severud said that neighbors have been working to keep an eye on the property and that the cleanups are making a difference.
“Every year it just got worse, until it got so bad that we had to do something about it,” he said.
Girls cross country team assistant coach Jaime Doran said she was happy with how the students worked to clean up the trails.
“We’re down here all the time so, of course, we wanted to help out,” she said.