CRAB ORCHARD - Despite Saturday's cold temperatures, 20 volunteers from Southern Illinois University Carbondale got an early start cleaning up trash in Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge.

The trash came in all forms, whether it was discarded haphazardly by a passerby or something that blew into the 7,000-acre refuge.

"This instills a feeling that littering is bad, and it makes our volunteers more familiar with Crab Orchard. It's a great resource in our area," said Jill Pierard, a student development graduate assistant who helped organize and monitor the 4½-hour cleanup.

Volunteers from a variety of disciplines and campus associations met at the SIUC Student Center and rode a bus to the site.

Much of the cleanup was focused on Old Route 13 just west of Marion on a long stretch of straightaway road.

Iesha Mona Wilson, a senior majoring in English, said she didn't mind the cold weather as she pronged trash with an aluminum stick.

Up and down the roadway, huge orange sacks were filled with trash to be collected by other volunteers, Pierard said.

Brightly colored vests to alert motorists were lent to volunteers courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pierard said.

Rewards for volunteers and their work included free refuge passes, T-shirts and an afternoon lunch.

Not everyone picked up trash along Old Route 13.

Anita Eckhardt, a graduate student majoring in environmental resources and policy, pronged trash near a marina entrance on the far west side of the refuge.

Volunteering her services on behalf of the Beautify Southern Illinois Student Alliance, Eckhardt said she has participated in past cleanup efforts for Crab Orchard.

She expressed dismay about a gate placement into the marina near where she was picking up trash.

"I used to come to this area all the time, but now it's closed to only boat owners. It closed last fall," Eckhardt said.

scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com

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