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The
Tyler Civitan Club on the morning of a clean up marking their
10th anniversary.
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It
all started in the Lone Star State.
Did you know the first highway ever adopted was right
here in Texas?
One day back in 1984, James R. Bobby Evans, an engineer
for the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) Tyler District,
was driving through Tyler when he observed debris blowing out of
the bed of the pickup truck he was following.
Alarmed by the incident and concerned that the cost of picking up
litter was increasing at an annual rate of 15 to 20 percent, Evans
began appealing to local groups to adopt a section of
highway. His initial challenge went unanswered.
Champion
for the cause
It wasn't long before Billy Black, Public Information Officer
for TxDOT's Tyler District, became involved in developing the Adopt-a-Highway
program. Black was responsible not only for creating a quarterly
cleanup cycle for adopting organizations, but also for implementing
the initial concept, which included furnishing volunteer safety
training, reflective vests and equipment — and for erecting
the well-known Adopt-a-Highway roadside signs that recognize adopters.
The Tyler Civitan Club soon became the first group to volunteer,
adopting a two-mile stretch of Highway 69.
The
word spreads.
The rest, as they say, is history. Within months, more
than 50 groups in the region — garden clubs and scouting groups
among them — had joined the program, which would blanket Texas
and quickly spread nationwide.
Signs recognizing the Tyler Civitans' section of roadway (First
Adopt-a-Highway in the Nation) were erected on March 9, 1985
— a day that has subsequently been named International Adopt-a-Highway
Day.
Going
global
Demonstrating the value of a successful public-private
partnership, today Adopt-a-Highway is a grassroots movement involving
nearly 90,000 groups in 49 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, New Zealand,
Australia and Japan.
For more information call your local coordinator
or e-mail us to explore the opportunities!
Ready
to sign up?
Locate your area coordinator(s) here.
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What They Say
It's
a lazy, selfish move when you litter. There's not any place where
littering is all right.
—Matthew McConaughey (a.k.a. Litter
Wrangler)
View
all
Endorsements
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