Byron News: Has spring sprung?

The water is running in our ditches and things are greening up. The big fat robins are building nests, the morning is full of singing doves and lilacs are blooming early. It all points to spring, but on Monday it looked like a winter wonderland here in Byron. We were under a blanket of snow. Of course, by noon it was mostly gone. I have toyed with putting in some plants off and on, but my procrastination has probably saved them an early death. Living in Wyoming provides us with seasonal whiplash. 

We are creatures of habit. I have noticed that as the weather does warm up there is a general clean up that takes place. Lots of old clutter and trash for the weekly pickups is drug out to the street. We are fortunate and owe some gratitude to the town leaders (Norv Carter, Ed NeVille, Alden Anderson, Wilder Hatch and Larry Yonts) who had the foresight to organize a Solid Waste District back in 1979. 

We have a service that will chip up our branches, haul away our old appliances and whatever we can drag out to the street on garbage day. Shane Wagner does a wonderful job. The district takes him outside of town limits to those out-of-towners, who still are part of the Byron area. 

It is fun to get emails and calls from some of the old Byronites, who still read the Lovell Chronicle. After I wrote about the old Hatch place, I got a call from Marion Esterholt, who now lives in Casper. She had a memory to share. 

During the early years (I am thinking 50s), somewhere between the old picture show drive-in and Kinks food drive-in, there was a road that led to a cement chute with high sides that led down to the banks of the river west of the old bridge. She remembers her dad taking their trash and she would help toss some of the boxes over the edge to slide down into a large pile, which would be burned periodically. There is no evidence of it left. 

Denney NeVille remembers a couple of his friends sliding down the chute and landing in the pile. One of his memories is of one of them finding an old American flag under a box. A treasure among the trash. 

I remember when people would dump trash along the sides of the road, disposable packaging made it common. Down would go the window and out would fly the trash. All kinds of litter could be seen strewn along our now scenic byways. In 1953 the Keep America Beautiful nonprofit organization came onto the scene, and by 1970 all states had some sort of fine or community service in place for those who were caught littering. 

It is unusual now to see trash along the roadways, but it still happens as those who volunteer to pick up and spruce up our roadsides can attest. With this year being our nation’s 250th celebration, it is a great time to rededicate to clean up our own spaces and communities and continue with what was started in ’53 – Keep America Beautiful, starting in our own backyards.