Our Orenda team took truck loads of trash out of the Refuge

Mattresses and refrigerators, car parts and odd furniture, televisions and stereos ~ part of a giant closeout sale? No. These are just some of the items that volunteers removed from the Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) on Saturday, May 6th.

The MNWR is in the "still-growing" stage, and could include almost 5800 acres when completed. The Refuge contains a wide variety of habitats ~ salt marsh, white cedar swamp, uplands, abandoned cranberry bogs, brooks, rivers and ponds ~ that provide sanctuary for countless birds, migrating ducks, mammals from squirrels, skunks and raccoons, to larger species like deer and coyotes and fish including trout and alewives.

This special combination of habitats is even more unique because it is managed under one joint plan, but individually held by nine public and private agencies. But, there is one problem common to all the partners ~ dumping ~ the plague of many areas within the refuge. Old dirt roads seem to be an open invitation to dumpers who are avoiding fees at trash transfer stations.

Orenda Stewards routinely monitor our Makepeace Sanctuary and Mercy Lowe property within the Refuge and haul out trash. For this cleanup day, Stewards Dick Boyden, Ken Burnes and Farley Lewis were joined by Orenda Vice President Dan Morast and Administrator Linda Bound to volunteer for the effort coordinated by Molly Kitchel of AmeriCorps Cape Cod.

Fueled with coffee and doughnuts, and sprayed down against ticks, small groups of volunteers headed to "problem areas" with maps in hand. The objective was to pick up the "big stuff" ~ furniture, appliances, etc., and take it to the Mashpee Transfer Station where operators were prepared to accept the trash.

Part of the Orenda group was assigned the south Great Hay Road. As the photographs show, unfortunately, our quest was all too successful. Finds included everything from a Chevy steering column and a sand-filled base for a basketball hoop, to numerous televisions and a large, side-by-side refrigerator.

A huge amount of trash was removed, but sadly, the dumping continues. In some areas of the Refuge the problem has been reduced by gating the dirt roads ~ a solution that is fiercely opposed to by some longtime residents, four-wheelers, and ATVers. But even when gated, determined dumpers have vandalized the gates or find ways around them.

On the bright side, the dedicated partners of the MNWR persevere in cleaning up and trying to find ways to discourage this blight on the Refuge.

We congratulate all the groups and volunteers who made the MNWR cleanup day such a success and we thank our members whose support further fuels our dedication to the Orenda mission of preserving wildlife habitat. Thank you.

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