According to my research, it has been four and half years since we last cleaned up our adopted part of the Ozark Mountain Highroad just north of Branson. We have cleaned it up 15 times (here's the official bookmark list: https://www.geocaching.com/plan/lists/BM32MG7), but this 16th time will be the last. This is because I have received notice that the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has started the process of phasing out the Adopt-a-Highway program.
Even though our "Adopt-a-Highway" agreement with MoDOT has expired, we will clean up this section of the highway one last time.
This CITO event will be part of Groundspeak's CITO 2024, Season 1, which lasts from Friday, March 1 through Friday, May 31, 2024. By participating in this event and logging it as attended, you will receive a special "CITO 2024, Season 1" souvenir for your Geocaching.com profile. More information on CITO 2024 activities can be found at this link: https://www.geocaching.com/blog/2024/02/cache-in-trash-out-cito-announcement-for-2024.
We will meet at our Ozark Mountain Geocachers Adopt-a-Highway sign (the eastern-most one) at 5:30 pm on Friday, May 31st, 2024. The event will last for one hour and end at 6:30 pm. Hopefully that gives everyone who wants to attend enough time to drive in after work and do a little cleanup on the Ozark Mountain Highroad one last time.
The coordinates for this CITO Event cache are also the parking coordinates. You can park along the highway (remember to pull all the way off of the shoulder--i.e., park on the grass), or in the commuter lot along Adair Road just to the north.
Because the Adopt-a-Highway program is being phased out, I would prefer not to leave the pile of trash bags along the highway when we are finished as we have done in the past. If anyone has a pickup truck and is willing to take the trash bags to a dumpster, this would be appreciated!!!
I HIGHLY recommend wearing something orange or bright yellow. I may still have some safety vests and trash bags for us to use that I got from MoDOT several years ago. Regardless, trash bags will be provided. I would also recommend bringing and using the following: sun screen, bug spray, hand sanitizer, rubber gloves, and bottles of water. A first aid kit (just in case) would be a good idea too.
Please do NOT bring young children to clean up the highway!
Here's a link to a safety guidelines video that MoDOT put together several years ago. It has some good safety tips (pay special attention to the "don'ts".) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ5b0nRl-DE
Remember: SAFETY FIRST!
If you are uncomfortable walking along the highway to pick up trash, an alternative would be to clean up the commuter lot that is along Adair Road. A cacher at a previous CITO here said he found a lot of trash in that lot.
This event will also be your chance to own a unique piece of Ozark Mountain Geocachers history. There will be a drawing for this after the event, and you MUST be present at the CITO event for the drawing. I cannot guarantee I will be able to obtain the prize until later this summer, but if I do, I will make arrangements to get the prize to the winner. What is this prize, you are probably wondering? I'll let you know at the CITO event. If you are a die-hard Ozark Mountain Geocacher, you will more than likely want this prize (or maybe you won't).
Finally, this event will be on the 20th anniversary of my first-ever geocache find on May 31st, 2004. I thought I'd do something extra special to celebrate my 20th Cachevesary and figured this final CITO event along our "adopted" part of the Ozark Mountain Highroad was good enough.
See you there!