They've pulled out 2,000 tires and 20 cars from the bottom of the bluff near the Kincaid motocross track. There's still enough trash left to thrill archaelogists should they stumble across the site a thousand years hence. Joe Meehan of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Gary Olson, chairman of the Alaska Moose Federation and contributing businesses teamed up over the weekend to continue their cleanup of the illegal dumping site on land of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge.
Trash of all sorts, some dating to the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964, has apparently become an unnatural part of the earth's rock cycle at the site, where some vehicles have sunk into the ground. The volunteer effort takes eyesores out of the landscape and also reduces contamination by gasoline, battery lead, oil, brake fluid and antifreeze in wildlife habitat.
This is yeoman's work and, as Olson pointed out, an excellent example of partnership among public and private, profit and nonprofit outfits.
On the public side, we could do a little more.
First, as Meehan suggests, the state could pony up some money to put some heavier equipment at the site and speed the process of cleanup. This is a wildlife refuge, not a junk yard.
Second, the city and or state could make it harder to jettison vehicles and appliances over the cliff. This is a wildlife refuge, not a junk yard, but some people still haven't gotten the message.
Meanwhile, thanks to the efforts of Meehan, Olson and the businesses and workers who lent their expertise and equipment. Our coast is better for it.
BOTTOM LINE: Good work on refuge cleanup; let's do even more.