EDITOR'S NOTE: During this unprecedented time, ADOT is creating transportation activities for kids. Please visit azdot.gov/ADOTKids or use the hashtag #ADOTKids on ADOT's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts to see what we have going on.

By Mary Currie / ADOT Communications

We've been encouraged by all the kids who want to Keep it Grand and have participated in our art challenge! Your work encouraging others to avoid littering has been great. Litter is unsightly and not good for our environment. It's also very expensive to pick up. So it's really important for us all to do our part in keeping Arizona beautiful. 

Besides amazing works of art, we also received questions, like this one from 12-year-old Rohini​:

​How much litter is on our highways?

W​e checked with our maintenance crews and l​ast year ​in the Phoenix area alone, they collected more than 630 tons of litter. That's about the weight of 16 ​gray ​whales​!​

This question came in from 8-year-old Daniel of Prescott Valley:

Why do people litter the highways?

We don't know why people litter, but we do know that all types of litter are collected by Adopt a Highway volunteers along Arizona's highways. Volunteers have collected cigarette butts, soda cans and water bottles. Sometimes these items are blown from truck beds or vehicles while traveling. This type of littering is easy to prevent by simply stashing your trash in a small litter bag it in your vehicle and tossing it in a trash can at your next stop.

You had a lot more great questions that I answer in today's video at right. You'll also be able to see some of the artwork that was submitted. All of the Keep It Grand drawings you sent are in the slideshow below.

​If this is the first ADOT Kids activity you've participated in, please make sure you check out our free Zoom backgrounds and No-Litter Lucy maze. Our current activity asks kids to design bridges! You can find all of our ADOT Kids activities at azdot.gov/ADOTKids. and the ADOT Blog at azdot.gov/blog. Please check back often because there are new ones coming out all the time.

Now let's look at everyone's terrific art!

EDITOR'S NOTE: ADOT asks volunteers to limit group sizes and to respect guidelines for social distancing during group cleanups, as recommended by the Arizona Department of Health Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If you are traveling northbound toward Show Low on US 60, watch for a mile dedicated to Melissa Pomeroy greeting motorists at mileposts 334-335. “We picked the closest segment coming into Show Low from Tucson that was available,” says Michelle Keith, Melissa’s twin. 

Melissa called this part of the White Mountains home, even though the sisters grew up in Tucson. Together, they spent summers at the family’s second home. Michelle recalls her sister's love of Show Low, and the seasonal changes on the Rim. Melissa loved the big trees and the snow, so much so, that she moved to Show Low after college. She got married and raised her family in Show Low while working as a teacher at the local elementary school.

When Melissa unexpectedly passed in 2014 at the age of 48, one of Michelle’s worst fears was that her sister would be forgotten. The highway cleanup is just a little way to keep Melissa's memory alive within their family. Michelle often runs into people who say, “I saw your sister’s sign today.” Those words bring a comforting reminder to Michelle that her beloved sister’s memory remains bright and that this sister’s love will never fade. 

Since 2018, Michelle has participated in the Adopt a Highway Volunteer program and organizes cleanups a couple times a year, mostly with family members. About 190 miles separates Tucson from Show Low, but uniting to remember Melissa brings people together several times a year. “We all have a good time doing it," Michelle says. "Melissa was proud of Show Low.”

If you are interested in caring for a segment of highway in memory of a loved one, please visit the Adopt a Highway website to learn how. View the map to see which segments are available for adoption.

EDITOR'S NOTE: During this unprecedented time, ADOT is creating transportation activities for kids. Please visit azdot.gov/ADOTKids or use the hashtag #ADOTKids on ADOT's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts to see what we have going on. 

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

If you've participated in our 'Keep it Grand' art challenge and are wondering how you can join the fight against litter, this blog post is for you! 

​Through the years, we've had many kids participate in ADOT's Adopt a Highway volunteer program. Whether big or small, volunteers always feel like they get something out of the experience. Volunteers have told us adopting a highway is a "feel-good thing to do" and is "important work."

Did you know this is National Volunteer Week? We celebrated it today by paying tribute to the 10,000 volunteers who picked up litter along state highways in the past year. 

Many of our youngest volunteers start when their families adopt stretches of highway. That means they agree to pick up litter along the highway at least once a year. An earlier blog post highlights how the Clark family has been picking up litter along State Route 473 in the White Mountains for 11 years. The picture on the right shows their two daughters after a cleanup. While the Clark family is helping beautify our state, they also use the time to share family memories. 

Each year, the Coester family ​gathers 15 to 20 family and friends, young and old, to work on US 180. You can see the large group that gathered last summer and read their story in our blog post. You’ll learn how the family honors David Coester and the area he loved. The family enjoys welcoming their little family members to the group to be guided by those with more experience. 

For those who don’t gather with their families to adopt highways, civic and charitable groups can participate. Boy Scout Troop 7193 cleans up mile 222 on State Route 260 near Camp Verde. Near St. Johns in eastern Arizona, the Apache County 4-H club works on milepost 380. Whether it is a religious group, youth group or school group, all are welcome! 

If you want to see what a litter pickup looks like, watch our video below.

You can learn more about how easy it is to participate in the Adopt a Highway program on our website. For safety reasons, we ask volunteers to be 12 and older. 

A reminder: If you have questions about picking up litter around the state or want us to feature your artwork encouraging others to keep our state clean, please send them to [email protected] by 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 22. We’ll be answering your questions and showing off your artwork on Friday, April 24.

A bonus activity: I hope you'll check out the maze at bottom right. You can print play by clicking the image or the link below it. Have fun No-litter Lucy get her litter bag to the trash can!

 

Click image or this link for PDF

Please visit azdot.gov/ADOTKids or use the hashtag #ADOTKids on ADOT's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts to see what we have going on.

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

When ADOT talks trash, it's usually a little different than what most mean by "trash talk." When we "talk trash" it's usually about cleaning up litter along state highways and the Adopt a Highway volunteer program.

Yesterday we launched an activity for kids to submit their version of the Keep it Grand logo, reminding everyone not to litter. We can't wait to see the art you submit to [email protected]! 

Today we have a short quiz to test your knowledge of litter in Arizona and the Adopt a Highway program. You can get answers to the quiz on the ADOT website and the Adopt a Highway site. Good luck! If you get all the answers right, we give you permission to "talk trash!"

EDITOR'S NOTE: During this unprecedented time, ADOT is creating transportation activities for kids. Please visit azdot.gov/ADOTKids or use the hashtag #ADOTKids on ADOT's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts to see what we have going on. 

By Mary Currie / ADOT Communications

Everyone wants a litter-free Arizona. That's why we’re challenging kids of all ages to create colorful reminders for everyone to keep Arizona and its highways looking grand. Join the fun by submitting a photo of a sidewalk chalk drawing – or another type of drawing – showing the Keep It Grand logo at right. 

ADOT will add every picture we receive by 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, to a slideshow that will be posted on this page Friday, April 24. NOTE: We've added the pictures below, along with a video in which I answer your questions and feature your art.

Here's how to participate and share your art with the world:

1. Use the logo on the right for inspiration, then grab some chalk and draw the Keep It Grand logo on your driveway or wherever safe and permissible to do so. Feel free to draw and share your own Keep It Grand or anti-litter message as well. NOTE: Don't have sidewalk chalk? Not a problem! Any way you're able to create and share your drawing is just fine with us. 
2. Send your photo to ADOT by email ([email protected]). We can't post photos of you with your art, but we'd love to show off your art. Feel free to share your photos with us using the hashtag #ADOTKids on Twitter (we're @ArizonaDOT), Facebook (/AZDOT) and Instagram (@Arizona_DOT).
3. Please send me your questions about ADOT's Adopt a Highway program, the problem of roadside litter and the Litter Hotline that I explain below. I'll answer them in a video while I also celebrate your art. It'll be posted along with the slideshow.  
4. Challenge your friends to participate!

Show your love for keeping Arizona grand and remember to stash your trash during outdoor activities, no matter your method of transportation, until it can be properly disposed of. 

If you'd like to learn more about what I do managing ADOT's Adopt a Highway progams, please visit azdot.gov/adoptahighway and this ADOT Blog post about yours truly. You also can explore ADOT Blog posts about our many Adopt a Highway volunteers, including student groups. And you can learn about our Litter Hotline, which allows people to report drivers they see trashing state highways. We send the vehicle's owner a letter explaining how litter harms Arizona and include a small litter bag to take along on trips. I'm happy to answer any questions you have about these subjects. 

Video: 

Slideshow:

The former gold mining town of Congress is found at the junction of State Routes 71 and 89 in northwestern Arizona. Large mining operations haven’t existed here since the 1930s, but one volunteer group in the area still finds treasures of another kind. 

John King, a member of the First Baptist Church of Congress and Adopt a Highway volunteer group, talked to me about a couple of the most interesting items found by group members. Tom Boyles, the church treasurer, spotted a $20 bill along the highway. Boyles insisted it be deposited back into the church coffer. You can spot Tom’s find in the photo on the right captured by Pastor Paul Gleason.

That incident was topped nearly two years ago when volunteer Ray Monlux found a working cellphone. John had a compatible charger for the phone and was able to access a few phone numbers, making it possible to return the phone to its owner. The real surprise came when they learned the owner lived a couple of miles up the road and the phone was lost seven months before Ray found it!

It is not unusual for this group to collect 10 or more bags of litter during an outing. According to King, the volunteer group shown in the photo changes between 11 and 30 members. Winter visitors are always welcomed and increase participation. 

Sure, the group has found a few treasures over the years, but what’s even more impressive is the positive difference made with each cleanup in their community throughout the year. While mining no longer exists in Congress, there are certainly hearts of gold found in these volunteers.   

Arizona has hundreds of unadopted miles available that could use your help. If you are interested in starting your own group please visit the ADOT Adopt a Highway webpage.  

Arizona is looking pretty good for turning 108, which happens on this Valentine's Day. Please allow me to suggest one way we can ensure this centenarian continues to look her best. Adopt a highway. The Adopt a Highway program is an opportunity to help out your community while also making sure Arizona presents her best side.

The Adopt a Highway program isn’t nearly as old as our state, but like Arizona it is still going strong. It began in 1988 under then-Gov. Rose Mofford. In the first couple of years, 100 organizations collected litter along 200 miles of freeway. Today there are more than 900 groups picking up litter along 1,600 miles of Arizona highways. But there is still more to do, and more volunteers are needed.

More than 51 billion pieces of litter are left on roads across the country. That translates to more than 6,700 pieces of trash per mile! While the Adopt a Highway Volunteer program has hundreds of volunteers, there are still hundreds of unadopted miles that could use some love. So, if you want to show the Valentine State your love, please look into the ADOT Adopt a Highway program.  

It can be difficult to come up with one-of-a-kind gifts expressing your love on Valentine’s Day. Leave it ADOT to find you a gift that no one else will have!

A couple of years ago, we suggested road trip to Love or Valentine, Arizona. Take it one step further this year and adopt a highway in your sweetie’s name near Love or Valentine. We’ll even post a sign along their mile!

The Adopt a Highway volunteer program began in 1988 and now boasts hundreds of volunteers who clean up nearly 1,600 miles of landscape across Arizona. Adopting is easy. Each group adopts a mile and cleans each side of the highway along that mile for a minimum of two years. Groups are encouraged to schedule pickups three or more time per year. Volunteers are provided with safety vests, litter bags and safety training.

You can use our interactive map to pick your ideal spot. Valentine, Ariz. is located off State Route 66 northeast of Kingman while Love, Ariz. is located on US 60 northeast of Salome. While the Adopt a Highway program has more than 800 groups cleaning state highways, there are still miles available near these two romantically-named towns. Mileposts 70-86 are available near Valentine on SR 66. Closer to Love, mileposts 66-98 are available on US 60.