Trash Blast | Dutchman Lake

Shawnee National Forest, Friends of the Shawnee, and the Illinois Extension will be partnering to host our annual spring Trash Blasts! They will happen on the first Friday of every month from September through November, from 1 pm to 3 pm at various locations in the Shawnee National Forest. This time we will meet at Dutchman Lake in Johnson County. We will be collecting out in the woods, along the lake and access road. There is a mild terrain change and we walk off the trail.

During Trash Blasts, we will break into small teams of volunteers to collect litter from selected sites. We find items as large as mattresses to tiny micro trash. No matter what we find, we try to remove it to help restore the area to its natural state.

Volunteers should wear sturdy shoes, long pants, closed-toed shoes, and bring their leather work gloves. If you do not have leather gloves, we can help provide them for you. Trash receptacles and grabbers will be provided for volunteers during the trash blast. This event is limited to 30 participants.

If you want to learn more about this program or need a reasonable accommodation to participate, please contact Anne Townsend at cupquake@illinois.edu. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting access needs.
To register: go.illinois.edu/TrashBlaster