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Hauling out the trash Photo by Bob Pennell A bullet-ridden piece of a washing machine held by community service worker Eli Russell of Medford frames a pile of junk cleaned from the area around Wagner Creek Thursday morning. Volunteers help county remove litter from Wagner Creek By WENDY SIPOREN TALENT -- Some of the tires were growing moss and the old washing machine was functioning only as target practice. In all, three dump truck loads of trash were hauled out of a steep embankment next to Wagner Creek Thursday thanks to the efforts of a neighbor and Oregon Trout. A nearby resident alerted Ashley Henry of Oregon Trout to the problem just before the organization's educational canvass of Wagner Creek residents in March. Almost two months and many nagging phone calls later, the Jackson County road department took responsibility for the cleanup because the trash was thrown from a county road. Henry said the area is probably further upstream than where fish reach, but the trash can't be good for resident animals. A crew of seven community service volunteers spent hours hauling tires, garbage, old appliances, shotgun shells, beer cans and a couple of syringes up to a dump truck waiting on Wagner Creek Road. The site is about two miles past the sign saying "please no dumping" in a forested section of the road with no homes. Jackson County road employee Jim Douglas said the illegal dumping was significant only because of the huge numbers of tires thrown over the embankment. Douglas said "no dumping" signs will be installed at the site. "It's heartening that something is finally being done about it. But it's frustrating it took so long," said Henry. "If something as common as garbage dumping took two months, what's going to happen if there are more significant violations of fish habitat? "It seems like there needs to be a faster way to deal with these problems." She said the Oregon State Police did receive funding through the Oregon salmon restoration plan to address violations of pollution laws. According to Henry, the agency is trying to track down the Wagner Creek culprits based on appliance serial numbers found at the site. Oregon Trout is organizing a cleanup of Wagner Creek to coincide with the annual Bear Creek cleanup and Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism's statewide cleanup day on May 22. To volunteer, call Henry at 772-7988. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA