My husband and I volunteered to join the city's spring clean-up of a nearby forest park last Saturday. Although we were not obligated to stay all day long since we were volunteers, we ended up staying till the cleanup was complete. The forest was full of garbage. It seemed like an endless task.

Here are some of the things we found dumped in the forest:

• Car tires
  
• Car parts (hoods, gas tanks, etc.)
  
• A Jacuzzi
  
• Beer bottles
  
• Soda cans
  
• Plastic water and soda bottles
  
• Plastic bags
  
• A Microwave
  
• Household garbage
  
• Bones of dead animals wrapped in plastic bags (!!)

It was a good educational experience for both my husband and me to help clean and preserve the integrity of the natural forest in the city where I live.