By By JESSICA SIEFF / Niles Daily Star
BUCHANAN – On a walk through McCoy's Creek trail, just off Schirmer Parkway in Buchanan, a cloudy sky and scattered rain drops tried – in vain – to halt the trail's quiet beauty. Creek waters moved along their path and the only evidence of birds overhead was the rustling of leaves as they were grazed. The creek has seen its share over the years. It has been abused and neglected -only to be found, saved and touted as an attraction to the city. And on Saturday, volunteers will descend once again on McCoy's Creek for the Friends of McCoy's Creek annual clean up.
Registration starts at 8 a.m. near the duck pond just off of Front Street in Buchanan and clean up will start at 9 a.m.
Scott King, who has been involved with the creek's clean up for more than 10 years, has been able to reflect on the progress made in what was once a heavily polluted creek. Crews of volunteers used to visit the creek for clean up three or four times a year, King said. Now, "we've got it down to one time a year."
The volunteers for the clean up which is also sponsored by the city, will be broken down into groups. A special crew will be put together, no doubt equipped with waders, to scour the creek's waters, while the rest of the volunteers move along the trail.
Over the past 10 years, King said the clean up has extracted approximately "96,000 pounds of garbage. And we've recycled about 90 percent of it."
Washing machines, forklift axles, car parts, tires, bicycles and water heaters are just a few of the items that were pulled out of McCoy's Creek when clean up first started all that time ago. King said back then, the clean up effort was manned "with only four people." Now, he estimates around 100 people get involved each year.
"We want to preserve the creek," King said. "So that when people come down there to walk, they don't feel like they're walking through a garbage dump."
The time and effort by people like King have gone into preserving the creek and developing its trails as well as keeping the natural site protected.
"Right now we're working on erosion control," King said, adding that he'd heard Mayor Dr. Patricia Moore comment recently that there had been 23 couples who already used the creek's deck -also located at the entrance off Schirmer Parkway – as their spot to exchange wedding vows.
It's a far cry from washing machines and forklift axles.
King speculates that with the rising costs of fuel, more people are choosing or will being making the choice to stay home and cut down on travel. That leaves the city's parks and trails – including McCoy's Creek in a special position. The importance and necessity of clean ups, such as the one taking place Saturday, make for a more appealing and aesthetic recreational space for residents.
Along with the volunteers expected Saturday, King said some Buchanan High School students would also be on hand to help in the effort to maintain McCoy's Creek. Having students involved in the clean up helps give them a bit of perspective, explains King. He believes that in cleaning up the creek, those that might normally leave some litter behind them may just learn, "your actions do have consequences."
Those heading over to registration for Saturday will need to wear long pants and long sleeve shirts, bring gloves – and of course, waders – if planning on heading into the water.
It may sound uncomfortable, King said, especially in warmer temperatures. But it will help volunteers guard against any dangers while moving through the creek. For his part, King has directed the clean up for more than years and said that there is a special focus on safety. "We've never had an accident," he said.
Volunteers will be split up into groups. "We're breaking the creek down into three parts," King said. The clean up will continue until around 1 p.m. and lunch will be provided afterwards.
"It's a fun event," said King, calling McCoy's Creek "a beacon of the St. Joseph River" and "one of the best cold water trout streams." Kings only concern for this Saturday is the weather. He's heard reports of possible thunderstorms. They'll work through rain, he said, but storms could hamper the effort.
And to King, it truly is an important effort. An effort, he said, "so we can pass on something nice to our future generations."
As he points out a new staircase that is still being completed along a segment of the trail off the Schirmer Parkway entrance, King doesn't just mention the trail's attributes. The way the creek winds its way beneath a framing of brilliant green. The way the trail can trick a visitor into thinking they're walking through the deep woods of Virginia and not in Michigan at all. He doesn't just mention those bits. He speaks with a genuine level of appreciation. And he takes a moment or two to take it all in. As if he were visiting an old friend.