His first inclination was just to set a time for himself to go pick up some trash, but one of the many pieces of debris that really shocked him into action was the burnt-out hulk of what had been a brand new Toyota FJCruiser. He knew he would need some help to haul that out, so he talked to a few friends, thinking “no one is going to want to do this.”
To Huber’s pleasant surprise, everyone he asked responded enthusiastically. He set his clean-up date about one month out to give everyone time to plan. He had never organized a clean-up before, or even attended one, but suddenly, people he barely knew were saying “Great! I’ll be there!” Before he knew it, a small army was forming.
His next call was to the local Forest Service to find out if any special arrangements needed to be made. Again, he was met with enthusiasm. The local district of the US Forest Service not only sanctioned the event, but provided trash bags and a 4-ton capacity dumpster on the day of the clean-up.
Then he expanded his call to aid by reaching out to other people who enjoyed the Four Peaks area—hikers, mountain bikers, 4x4 clubs, shooting clubs—anyone he could think of. Huber searched the web for local clubs and recreational groups, and posted information about the clean-up effort on as many sites as he could find.
“I spent about four-hours every night just surfing the net, joining forums, posting the information and answering questions. Everyone just started jumping in!”
Huber contacted some local business owners to see if they would help in any way. Once again, vendors jumped in with donations of food, cleaning supplies and equipment, and raffle items.
As the date of the event drew near, Huber drew from the talents of other volunteers to help create maps and signs, staff supply stations, and continue to spread the word throughout the outdoor recreation community.
A great break in public awareness came when a local news channel caught wind of the rapidly growing clean-up event, and called Tim for a broadcast just two days before the event.
On Saturday, February 9, people flocked from all over the state to help Huber pick up trash along Four Peaks Road. With smiles and determination, the attendees removed every scrap of visible trash, including the burnt out Toyota.
When asked what advice he would give to someone who wanted to instigate a clean-up effort, Huber replied, “Just do it. You pick your trail, you pick your date, and then just run with it. Others will follow.”
Will the trash come back? Unfortunately, yes, but maybe next time, it will be a little less, and a little less after that, until dumpers are too ashamed to just blatantly throw their refuse into a once again pristine desert. “I will definitely do another one, but I will just start over with no expectations,” says Huber.
One person CAN make a difference. One person brought 250 people from all walks of life together with minimal lead time and media exposure. One person effected the removal of 7 tons of trash from public land, and encouraged any of us who have ever shaken our heads in disgust at a littered stretch of road that we CAN make it better, one trail at a time!
Huber cannot express enough his gratitude to the following sponsors and supporting clubs: Racer Offroad, The Good Gun Foundation, SDHQ Offroad, Total Chaos Fabrication, Icon Vehicle Dynamics, Overland Journal, Overland Video, Sierra Expeditions, REI, The Daybreak Deli, Tyson Crews Development, Stardust Country, Hunter Offroad, M&I Bank, Copper State Cruisers, The AZ Virtual Jeep Club, AZ TTORA, the AZ Xterra Owners Club, AZFJ, FJ Cruiserforums, Bman, Elvota, BioD 60, Danica, AZLane, the Forest Service, AZ Fish and Game, and the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office. The generosity and enthusiasm of these businesses and clubs helped to launch the event to a resounding success.
