Snowmass cleanup uncaps town residuals

Snowmass carries many treasures. 

The trash found on its traditional “Town Clean-Up Day” depicts the history of the town’s most recent winter months. From ski paraphernalia to bike parts to beer cans, it boasts a range of items.

But one stands out.

“My first year doing trash pickup, I noticed there are a lot of shooters,” said Assistant Town Manager Greg LeBlanc, who is an avid participant in the clean-up day. This year’s clean-up is slated for 8:30 a.m. May 16, at the Village Shuttle Depot at Daly Lane.

Interested in the significance of his finding, LeBlanc decided to apply his background in the sciences, which predated his time in government, to conduct a study.

“And I separated the recyclables, so all of the shooters, from just the regular trash,” he said. “And when I was done, I laid out all the shooters, and I had probably 50 over the course of a couple hours.”

He arranged them by brand, creating a graph on the ground to determine the town’s shooter preference.

“It turns out it was Fireball followed by Jose Cuervo,” he said, adding, “Number one and number two severely dominated the field.”

He analyzed the significance of his findings and how they relate to the actions of the community.

“The hypothesis would be do people who drink Fireball litter more, or is Fireball the most popular liquor for people who are here to do something that would beget a bottle like that,” he said. “But you know, we would need a peer-reviewed study to actually test all of these hypotheses.”

But apart from the cleanup’s potential for analysis, the popularity of the 47-year tradition highlights Snowmass’ values: a well-preserved natural environment and tight-knit community.

“Most people live here, or at least come here, and others then stay here, because of the views, the clean mountain air, being close to outdoor recreation,” he said. “And so we gravitate towards events like these because … it helps preserve that.”

LeBlanc expects hundreds of community members to attend the event.

Community building, too, is a big part of the clean-up. Friends, families, and coworkers combine strengths to de-trash the many pockets of the town, before finishing at noon for a community barbecue at the Snowmass Recreation Center.

“Come for the trash and stay for the lunch,” LeBlanc said.

Darrell Smith, water resources manager at the Snowmass Water & Sanitation District, will accompany LeBlanc in this year’s cleanup. The two usually begin cleaning up the parking lots along Carriage Way before moving to Brush Creek Road.

Focusing on keeping trash out of the rivers is also an important part of preserving the town’s healthy water systems.

“That’s one of the immediate impacts that we have on our water systems, is simply what we leave on the ground that moves downstream with wind or water,” he said. “So I think it’s a good preventative step to not let it get to that point.”

Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.