The Friends of South Ellerbe Creek helped organize 40 stream clean-ups: 1) with E.K. Powe Elementary (more than 50 volunteers cleared everything from a wheelchair to an old toilet), 2) with Old West Durham Neighborhood Association and the City Impact team (four truck loads), 3) with the Shodor Education Foundation and Duke students (on Broad Street near West Knox), 4) with Old West Durham residents (the day Hurricane Floyd hit), 5) Walltown Park (organized by Durham People's Alliance); 6) near West Club Blvd Elementary where more than 30 volunteers cleared debris and placed "Protect South Ellerbe" stickers on nearby storm drains (organized by high school senior Jason Mortimer); 7) in Trinity Park area (near West Knox and Ruffin) with Duke's Alpha Delta Pi; 8) near Broad and Knox with Shodor and Alpha Tao Omega; 9) Along South Ellerbe Greenway (near Green and Ruffin) with Duke's Phi Delta Theta; 10) Durham Central Park (downtown, near old Durham Athletic Park); 11) Two days of clean-ups by Duke's Phi Delta Theta fraternity (neglected section between Hillsborough Road and Carolina Avenue); 12) South Ellerbe Natural Area (with students from Duke ROTC); 13) Duke Diet Center (Watts Street Baptist at Trinity and North Duke); 14) Walltown Park (75 volunteers from Walltown Community Association, Urban Hiker magazine, Durham Rotary Club, Sierra Club, Environment First, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Old West Durham, Self-Help, Shodor Foundation, Durham Rescue Mission, People's Alliance, Stormwater Services, Partners Against Crime II, and City Council); 15) Ellerbe Greenway/East Coast Greenway (Phi Delta Theta), 16) "Bridges clean-up" (Duke groups targeting the debris that collects under many bridges that cross the stream), 17) Ruffin and Green (Duke community service), 18) South Ellerbe Natural Area (Duke Navy ROTC), 19) Club Blvd/south of Walltown Park, 20) Durham Central Park (Beth-El synagogue, Watts Street), and several more along the east and west branches (at this point we stopped keeping track of each outing). .

Day's haul included everything from shopping carts and television sets to water-logged rugs and an old wood wheel that is now lawn art.

Progress on the Creek

Joining forces with E.K. Powe Elementary and the Old West Durham Neighborhood Association, the Friends of South Ellerbe Creek helped pull a 'household of items' out of the creek along Green Street. The cleanup produced a toilet, several mattresses, a kitchen cabinet, old can of paint, rusted out barrel, children's toys, tires of all sizes, soccer ball, fire extinguisher, and a wheelchair. The group of volunteers also opened a small meandering path to the creek, to provide safe access for E.K. Powe students working on their stream watch activities.