Scouts and Illinois EPA Participate in 75th
Annual Lincoln Trail Hike
For Immediate Release
April 12, 2000 |
Contact: Maggie Carson
217-557-8138
TTD: 217-782-9143
Internet: www.epa.state.il.us
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Springfield, Ill. -- For 75 years the Boy Scouts of America have
been retracing Abraham Lincoln's path as a law student, from New Salem
State Park to Springfield. On Saturday, April 29, 2000, about 1,300 scouts
participate in the Lincoln Trail Hike, walking the 20-mile scenic roadway
through Sangamon and Menard Counties.
This is the sixth year that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
has teamed with the Abraham Lincoln Council of the Boy Scouts of America
to support litter collection along the Lincoln Trail. Employees from the
Agency volunteer their time to staff rest stations along the trail route
that provide drinks, restrooms, trash collection bags and other support
for the hikers.
Waste Management Inc. of Springfield also donates services each year,
providing disposal for the trash that is collected. The Agency returns
all the proceeds from the recyclable aluminum to the local Boy Scouts
Council. According to Bill Child, Chief of the Illinois EPA Bureau of
Land, "The event has been very successful with the scouts in past
years. It has also been popular with the residents along the trail, who
get their roadway cleaned."
The event begins at New Salem State Park at 6 AM and finishes at Stuart
Park in Springfield between 12 noon and 6 PM. "The Agency supports
this event because it encourages environmental stewardship among all the
participants," said Child. Participating Scouts receive an "I Cleaned
Up the Lincoln Trail" patch from the Agency.
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