I was honored to join ADOT colleagues on March 20 honoring Prescott Litter Lifters for 25 years as Adopt a Highway volunteers. Group leaders Farrish Sharon, Glennise Wendorf and former leader Nancy Piehl accepted a certificate of appreciation in the company of cheering participants.

Originally formed in 1981, the group is a well-known force in the community when it comes to beautifying Prescott. ADOT permit records show that between the years 2012-2024 volunteers filled 6,316 trash bags and reduced highway litter by 86,500 pounds on 8 miles along State Routes 69, 89 and 89A.

Prescott Litter Lifters cares for an additional 60 miles of local roadways in the Prescott area as well. Group leaders began tracking cleanups in 2012, with 182,337 bags of trash recorded and 13,537 hours of volunteer support logged through 2024.

“We take a lot of pride in our community and we see how much trash is here.” Farrish said, “We have a very dedicated group of volunteers who are passionate about picking up trash.”

As individuals headed out for the morning cleanup, Farrish expressed thanks for the Adopt a Highway program that helps clean up Arizona from head to toe. Check out the photos of these hardworking volunteers in the ADOT Flickr album here.

The Prescott Litter Lifters wouldn’t mind being put out of business. Until then, anyone is welcomed to contact PrescottLitterLifters.com and sign up for an opportunity to experience the camaraderie that drives their engagement for a clean community.

Arizona has many more highway miles in need of care by extraordinary individuals like this celebrated group. To explore your own adoption, please visit azdot.gov/adoptahighway.

A cheering crowd surrounded Melissa Owen during a safety briefing that preceded a cleanup of all 45 miles of State Route 286 between SR 86 and Sasabe Along with this ADOT representative, they celebrated Owen’s 10 years of organizing the annual “All the Way to the Border” litter pickup.

Participants signed in at Altar Valley Middle School on Saturday, Jan. 25, then picked up trash bags and headed for their assigned stretches of this scenic state highway. You can view the event photos and see the people who are inspired to help us keep Arizona grand in the ADOT Flickr album linked here. It’s my pleasure to introduce some of those featured in these photos.

Altar Valley Conservation Alliance representative Julia Guglielmo helped others find adopted areas on a special map drawn to highlight adopted and available segments along the entire 45 miles. 

Julia said, “Our mission is to preserve the Altar Valley for future generations, and that’s exactly what this event does. It helps the community to stay clean and safe, keeps our highways scenic so people can focus on the amazing wonders of the Altar Valley without being distracted by trash. 

I met up with Altar Valley Middle School Math Teacher Katie Nicholas cleaning along with a group of honors students across from the school. Katie told me this was the first of two cleanups scheduled this year on their adopted section. “I drive this highway every day to work. It is so important to keep this community clean and healthy and we’re teaching our kids to do the same,” Katie said. 

A few miles down the road I met Jeff White visiting from Oro Valley. “We want to give back to the community,” Jeff said, about volunteering in the Keep Oro Valley Beautiful Program and participating at mile 42 for “All the Way to the Border.”

The event drew 103 participants who filled 197 large trash bags. That’s about 2,700 pounds of debris. An ADOT maintenance crew gathered and disposed of a truckload of larger trash. ADOT thanks Melissa Owen of Rancho Sierra Vista de Sasabe/ Pozo Verde Wildlife Preserve for leadership and volunteer service. Thank you to all of the supporters, including Altar Valley Middle School, Altar Valley Conservation Alliance, Trico Electric Cooperative and Texas-based Park Smith Law.

If you’d like to learn more about adopting a highway, please visit azdot.gov/adoptahighway.

We’ve got your New Year’s resolution in the bag!

Longtime volunteer group leader Melissa Owen welcomes you to join the Jan. 25 “All the Way to the Border” cleanup held along 45-miles of State Route 286 between Three Points Junction and Sasabe at the Arizona/Mexico border. 

If you’d like to participate in this annual event, complete your Adopt a Highway Volunteer Permit Application by Jan. 10, 2024, and send it to [email protected] along with your request for a one-day permit and an adoptable mile for “All the Way to the Border.”

ADOT will assign an available mile along the route to interested participants. Volunteers gather for a safety briefing near Three Points on Saturday, Jan. 25, before heading to their adopted miles.

Owen and 120 of her closest friends and neighbors bagged 2 tons of trash last January, including aluminum cans, cigarette butts and building materials. This coming January marks 10 years of coordinated efforts with ADOT, neighbors and local organizations to help reduce litter along SR 286. 

Arizona has hundreds of miles available for adoption statewide. If you’d like to gather a few times a year to bag trash with your own team, please visit our Getting Started page for step-by-step instructions.

If you're looking for a way to make positive change in the new year, plenty of inspiration is waiting for you in the Adopt a Highway News. Sometimes the simple act of bagging trash – as in Melissa Owen’s case, causes miles of good deeds and a decade of growing friendships. 

If you are looking for a unique and meaningful way this holiday season to meet friends and family or just to get away from it all for a few hours, consider a holiday highway cleanup. 

For Adopt a Highway volunteer groups, it’s a two-step process. Notify your designated ADOT coordinator in advance of the intended volunteer date and then plan your cleanup day strategy. 

Getting outdoors during an Arizona winter in milder central and southern regions is a favorite pastime for residents and winter visitors.  Maybe it’s a 90-minute cleanup and then gathering for breakfast or a barbeque lunch. These are scenarios shared by volunteers who love to get outdoors and enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes from leaving your mile better than you found it! 

ADOT supplies the trash bags and safety vests, and you plan group cleanups a few times per year. Reporting your litter to us after each cleanup is simple and a key to our understanding of the positive impact volunteers make each year by tidying up along the Arizona state highway system.

Still thinking about it? Check out our website for details on getting started. It’s a positive way to express yourself and help keep Arizona looking grand. 

Thank you and happy holidays to our dedicated volunteers! 

Register here as a first step to gathering friends and family for the 7th annual ADOT litter cleanup on National CleanUp Day, Saturday, Sept. 21.

While Adopt a Highway permits are for two-years and require cleanups several times per year, we will work to find an adoptable area suitable for a one-day gathering of volunteers on National CleanUp Day.  You bring gloves and pick-up-sticks and we will provide the bags and vests you’ll need to participate.

After the event, volunteer group leaders report the number of trash bags filled and how many volunteers participated. Letting us know about the great work you did helps us measure the success of the annual cleanup and we recognize your group with a well-deserved certificate of appreciation. 

The Adopt a Highway team plans to make site visits to as many volunteer groups as logistics allow on Sept. 21. If your group is located on our route we will contact you to coordinate a visit prior to event day.

We'd love to see and share your National CleanUp Day photos on social media. Please use the hashtag #NationalCleanUpDay and tag us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X. 

Thank you for considering ADOT as an opportunity to unite and reduce litter in Arizona. 

Arizona, Keep It Grand!