It was early in the morning on Saturday when I spotted something scurrying through the bushes, bobbing up and down, intent on their prey. As I slowly drove forward on Moapa Valley Blvd. eager to spot the Desert Jackrabbit or the Kit Fox or some other desert creature, I realized that these busy creatures were none other than the local volunteers who had gathered together to clean up their town.

The Moapa Valley Revitalization Project (MVRP) folks were close to finishing their fall clean-up project for its third year in a row. This project is done in time for the big Veteran’s Day parade. Additional projects are completed during the year. These include weed pulls, the Welcome To Overton Sign, “Make A Difference Projects” and signage on the freeway and roads giving directions to Valley of Fire and Logandale Trails.

A new event will be held November 13-15 – the Off Highway Vehicles Roundup. It is hoped that this event will bring business into town. Vendors and local businesses will be taking part. More information can be obtained at the MVRP website: playinourdirt.com.

Mary Kaye Washburn explained that the biggest reward was to see the townspeople working together to keep their community beautiful and inviting. Kathi Cooper, the Vice President of this non-profit organization, stated that they had been awarded two State grants to date and were currently working on obtaining a grant from NCOT (Nevada Commission on Tourism) in order to work on more infra-structure projects.

MVRP is joined by Partners in Conservation, Just Serve.com and Facebook notifications in order to make sure these events are well publicized, attended and successful.

If your schedule did not allow you to take part in this day’s clean-up effort, it is suggested that you don’t need a special day to clean-up your town. All you runners, walkers, bicyclists – one day a week or one day a month, take a plastic bag with you and pick up the garbage that has accumulated on your route. With a little effort we can make this community sparkle in the desert.

By CATHERINE ELLERTON

Moapa Valley Progress