The success of a cleanup in December 2013 has prompted the City of Buckeye to host a second cleanup event near Skyline Park, an 8,675 acre mountain preserve set to open in 2015. The City of Buckeye is seeking volunteers and community groups to participate in the second cleanup to remove trash and debris that has accumulated from illegal shooting and dumping occurring on Arizona State Trust Land just south of the future park entrance.  The first cleanup kicked off an educational campaign to inform the public the area known informally as “Shotgun Alley” is closed to shooting and dumping.  During that event, 200 volunteers removed over 37,000 pounds of trash.

“During the first cleanup, we filled eight 20-yard dumpsters with trash, and the work done by all those volunteers made a huge impact.  You can definitely see a difference,” Wisener said.  “But there’s more work to be done to bring that area back to its beautiful desert foothills setting.”

A major part of the effort to restore that setting will be to continue an educational campaign by Buckeye police to turn away target shooters who previously had used the State Trust Land illegally.  “The area had become a popular place to shoot, with people bringing old TVs, appliances and glass bottles to use as targets and then leaving the trash behind,” Wisener said.     “We were starting to see the shooting and dumping spill onto the future Skyline Park and wanted to get the issues under control before the park opens in 2015.”

Police Chief Larry Hall said off-duty officers have been stationed at the end of the paved access road to the site on weekends.  “This is an area that will be used by Buckeye residents to access the future Skyline Park, so we want to make sure the public knows it is illegal to use any firearms there,” Hall said.   “Skyline Park will be a beautiful place for everyone who enjoys the outdoors, and we want to make sure it is a safe place for people of all ages to do just that.”

Buckeye is leasing the 8,675 acres from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as part of the Recreation and Public Purpose Act, which allows BLM to lease lands at no cost if it will benefit the public.  Improvements slated to be constructed by the City of Buckeye as part of Phase I include trailheads/parking areas with connections to existing trails, a gatehouse/entrance station, restrooms, camping sites, picnic areas and an environmental education programming area.  Construction will begin during the latter part of 2014 with the grand opening expected in 2015.

For additional information on the Cleanup on March 8^th, please visit www.buckeyeaz.gov/events or contact Robert Wisener at 623-349-6621 or at rwisener@buckeyeaz.gov.