By Donathan Prater

Published: March 8, 2008

“We clean, rain or shine,” said Shirley Flora, director of Keep Opelika Beautiful.

However, the weather condition Flora should have probably added to that list was snow.

Saturday, a few flurries fell, but the annual city-wide clean up event went on despite that in Opelika and Auburn.

About 200 area high and middle schoolers turned out to participate in the KOB clean-up.

This year area groups including Save Our Saugahatchee (S.O.S.) Inc., the Auburn chapter of the American Fisheries Society, the Chewacla-Uphapee Watershed (ChewUp) and the Beauregard-based People Against Litter (P.A.L.), joined KOB’s cleaning efforts throughout Lee County.

Sadly, littering in rural areas is something S.O.S. President Wendy Seesock has seen before.

“Working around water we’ve all seen bags of garbage, deer carcasses and computers disposed of improperly in these areas,” Seesock said.

The idea is to head off the trash before it makes its way into area streams and rivers, according to Caleb Hairgrove, president of the Auburn chapter of the American Fisheries Society.

“Some people will simply throw trash into ditches along roadways and if it’s not picked up, when it rains, that trash gets carried into the streams,” Hairgrove said.

This is the sixth year S.O.S. has held its creek clean-up event, according to Seesock.

During the KOB clean-up, students worked in the Rockybrook and surrounding communities of Opelika clearing trash away from roadways.

City of Opelika vehicles were also on hand to help clear away any discarded appliances for area residents, according to Michael Dowdell, superintendent of Solid Waste for the City of Opelika.

This is the 11th year the KOB clean-up has been held.