Volunteers collect nearly 400 pounds of trash from Coleman Creek
“Bringing members of the community together to care for the creek that runs through our campus has been one of the most meaningful parts of my time as a student at UA-Little Rock.” — Adam Wilson
By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts
- Fall cleanups net 787 pounds of trash
- Volunteers collect clothing, fast food containers, plastic sheeting
- Cleanups removed close to 6 tons of litter in seven years
(657 words)
LITTLE ROCK — More than a dozen volunteers armed with gloves, bags and grabbers marched into Coleman Creek and collected nearly 400 pounds of trash from the urban waterway.
The Nov. 5 cleanup was a joint effort by the Cooperative Extension Service headquarters in Little Rock and neighboring University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Coleman Creek runs through both campuses.
“We ended up having 14 participants on our end and 15 at UA Little Rock,” said John Pennington, instructor and extension water quality educator for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
After two hours in the creek bed and surrounding areas, volunteers from the Cooperative Extension Service removed 380 pounds of trash, including clothing, plastic sheeting hung up in branches, fast food serving containers and even a pristine off-road bicycle tire.
“Efforts by the Cooperative Extension Service have resulted in the removal of just shy of 6 tons of litter and debris from the creek over the past seven years,” Pennington said. “The Kappa Sigma Fraternity and UA Little Rock Sustainability Club have removed 407.5 pounds in their September and October cleanups.”
Pennington said these efforts make a difference over time.
“Everyone is responsible for doing their part to help keep water and our environment clean and healthy,” he said. “Regardless of who is doing the littering, we are all a part of the solution to pollution.”
The creek is part of the 112-square mile Fourche Creek watershed, which drains nearly 75 percent of runoff from within the Little Rock city limits. Coleman Creek is home to many wildlife species including great blue herons, kingfishers, red-tailed hawks and a variety of mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
Quad Whitson, extension program associate for culinary nutrition and food safety, took time out of his Family and Consumer Sciences work to volunteer.
“Participating in the Coleman Creek Cleanup felt integral to me because it's an important way to protect local water quality, support our wildlife and keep our environment healthy,” he said. Connecting and coordinating with other volunteers “gave me a practical sense of our collective impact … and developed a shared sense of responsibility for sustainability and our environment.”
In addition to the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and UA Little Rock, the event was sponsored by Friends of Fourche Creek, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Kappa Sigma Fraternity, UA Little Rock’s Sustainability Club, Arkansas Watershed Stewardship and Keep Arkansas Beautiful.
“They are a breath of fresh air,” Pennington said. “It is always awesome to see new people and organizations get involved to make a positive difference for the environment and their community.”
Fruitful partnership
The relationship with UA Little Rock has been fruitful, both for the creek and those involved.
Cadence Ventress, president of the university’s Sustainability Club, said her group has been collaborating with Kappa Sigma and Pennington since spring 2025.
“In total, we have hosted four cleanups, totaling over 800 pounds of trash removed from the Coleman Creek,” she said. “Over time, the amount of trash removed has decreased.
“It makes me very excited for the future, as we are seeing a tangible difference in our community and inspiring students and faculty alike to take part in this,” Ventress said.
Adam Wilson, a senior geology major and treasurer of Kappa Sigma, said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to help lead and grow this initiative on campus.
“Bringing members of the community together to care for the creek that runs through our campus has been one of the most meaningful parts of my time as a student at UA Little Rock,” Wilson said. “It’s inspiring to see so many volunteers turn up, again and again, do something truly good and take care of a place we all share.”
Want to know more about what you can do to help leave a positive impact on the water quality of Arkansas? Register to take the Arkansas Watershed Stewards course online at learn.uada.edu or request an in-person training by going to the Arkansas Watershed Stewardship page on our website.
To learn more about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media contact: Mary Hightower
mhightower@uada.edu