The Whitewater Canal Trail, Central Indiana Trout Unlimited and Main Street Brookville partnered to celebrate Earth Day with clean-up initiatives. 

On Saturday, April 23, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., residents could be found working together towards a cleaner environment all across Franklin County.

The Franklin County Community Foundation had 27 teams sign up to collect trash. 

“Teams worked on all three days," shared Shelly Lunsford. "The areas they cleaned up included the Brookville Town Park, the Franklin County Park, the playground in Hidden Valley subdivision, Bath Township, Johnson Fork Road, Snow Hill Road, Brookville's Main Street, Brookville Elementary School, Whitewater Canal Trail, Brookville Lake Tailwater area, Oldenburg Academy, Town of Oldenburg, Dam Road, Causeway Road, Stipps Hill Road, Franklin County High School, Franklin County Middle School, State Hwy 52, Elm Tree Road, State Hwy 252, State Hwy 101 at Bath Road, Bath Road, Old Franklin Church Road, Twin Woods on Springfield Road.”

The Laurel Conservation Club volunteered to clean up Dam Road in Laurel. The 3.5-mile road leads to the Laurel Feeder Dam. Roughly 20 volunteers came throughout the day to help and gathered a trailer load of trash.

"A huge thank you to the Town of Brookville and the Franklin County Commissioners for providing free trash drop off," Lunsford said.

Central Indiana Trout Unlimited supplied gloves and trash bags, and Gillmans Home Center supplied buckets. At noon, volunteers met back for pizza provided by Third Place free of charge.