Picking UP

For this week's blog, I strayed from my theme due to an amazing experience I had this weekend.

This past weekend, I went on a trash pick-up with Humane Borders to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Ariz. If any of you have ever been to Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point), Mexico, chances are you've probably passed through this area. We left on Saturday, September 29 at 6 a.m. from Tucson and returned around 4 p.m. This was an all-day adventure.

I found out that this was the first time Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument had invited Humane Borders to come pick up trash left by migrant crossers. It happened to be National Public Lands Day , where volunteers, like Humane Borders, take care of the land by removing trash and "have fun by getting back to nature."


Well, it may not be the most appealing type of fun, but I had an extremely memorable and eye-opening experience while wondering east off mile marker 79 on Interstate 19. Luckily, the weather was in our favor. There was a cool breeze that made the 90 degree weather feel comfortable.

I was a border cleanup virgin on this trip. I did not know what to expect. The Border Patrol told my group to watch out for snakes and give them any cell phone we find. After receiving a blue garbage bag, gardening gloves, and a trash grabber, I went off into the desert. All I could think about was how difficult walking hundreds of miles to this country, through hazardous terrain, would be. I tripped many times, kept hearing rattling noises (which I thought were snakes but realized they were cicadas), and sweat a ton. I think we, as a country, don't give migrant crossers enough credit. Just wandering around picking up trash for two and a half hours was rough. Here is a quick video of when I first started out.

My trash findings were pretty exciting. Beside picking up a bunch of plastic water bottles, I found a calling card, hair clip, and a blue sweater. Compared to what others found, my finds were pretty uneventful. Other volunteers found bikes (which are a popular find), backpacks full of tattered children's pants, long-sleeved shirts and shoes. I also picked up a lot of Budweiser beer cans and convenient store-looking soda cups. Not only was it migrant trash, it also was Rocky Point vacationer's trash too.


When I got home, I felt like I had done a good "green" deed. Although picking up trash isn't the greatest thing in the world, I got to know really great and friendly people and learned to appreciate being a United States citizen. Plus, I do not plan to litter ever again.