Sarah Wester, Melissa Rassel, Heather Bennett, Whitney Wainwright and Tucker Lemley were the co-directors and were responsible for coordinating the cleanup, getting sponsors, organizing and recruiting student volunteers. They provided food, drinks and gift certificates for raffles and prizes. The students see what goes on at the lake because they are out there regularly doing some type of study or project, Wester said. For one thing, a lot of the drinking water we get from the wells runs into the aquifer. Wester also said the trash can affect the fish and wildlife that make their homes in and around the lake.
People see the visible pollution found in the lakes and rivers.
It helps them get a better grasp if they are involved. They become very aware by participating. Johnson's organization allows sponsorship of different lakes and rivers and the volunteers are constantly cleaning up parts of each area. Rassel said that type of program for Alligator Lake would allow the lake to be cleaned up more often. The trash was taken to Winfield Landfill, where 35 percent of the trash collected Saturday will be recycled.