Hickory Knob Arch in McCreary County is one of the few arches in the state that has a road built over the top of it. Though so close to the road, there’s not much spray paint or etchings, but the real problem here is this is a local dump site. In the distance you’ll see my good friend Chuck Sutherland (see first photo below). Beyond Chuck there’s a cliff and that is where most of the trash goes. Keep in mind this isn’t just bottles and cans. This is full bags of trash collected in someone’s house then drove on top of the arch where someone will toss it over the side. Though it is not so visible from this perspective, the trash collects on the ledge to the left of Chuck, around where Chuck is standing and some of it makes its way into the arch. Probably because of local wildlife tearing the bags apart and looking for food scraps. Also, it is important to note that this is not the only place along this road where trash dumped. There are numerous places, usually along cliff lines, where piles upon piles are scattered along this road. It’s a saddening sight and unfortunately it is a problem that is going to be hard to fix without the funds to combat it. More importantly folks in local government need be aware in the first place.
Enter KWAL member Renee Errett. Last year she had seen a post by her friend Todd Fife. His post showed photos of a bunch of cemetery flowers that had been dumped there. Enraged by what she saw, Renee organized a cleanup with her friends Pam Gibson and Edwina Walker. As they worked and were loading it into Pam’s truck they realized that there was far too much trash to fit in the truck bed so Pam left and returned with a trailer. Altogether they hauled off 32 trash bags of garbage, most of which were cemetery flowers. Since the clean up Renee has regularly stopped by to make sure it’s still clean and there has not been a dumping incident since. Looks like Hickory Knob has a guardian angel and I can’t think of a better angel watching over it than our friend Renee.
Check out Hickory Knob Arch in the database.
© Renee Errett
© Renee Errett
© Renee Errett
© Renee Errett
© Renee Errett