Crow Wing County Kicks Off 4th Year of ‘Pick A Mile’ Roadside Cleanup Program

Photo of volunteers from Crosslake Veterinary Hospital volunteers who picked up trash the from intersection of County Road 3 and 66 last October (Credit: Crow Wing County)

The Crow Wing County Highway Department kicked off the fourth year of its Pick A Mile Program last month.

The program officially started back in the summer of 2021 after being ran unofficially through civic groups such as Lions Club International since 2001. Crow Wing County residents get the opportunity to pick a mile of county roads to assist in roadside cleanup.

The Highway Department has been pleased by the community’s contributions, as 81 groups are currently cleaning over 170 miles worth of roadway as of Thursday morning.

“I am very surprised at how seamless the process has been that we don’t even know that groups have chosen a mile road until they call and say, ‘We picked or cleaned our mile of roadway, the garbage is at this intersection,’ and we just say ‘Thank you, we’ll come and pick it up,'” said Jory Danielson, Crow Wing County Highway Department Maintenance Manager.

More information about the the Pick A Mile Program is available on the Crow Wing County website.