By Kevin Hendricks
Dozens of Placitas residents collected over 800 pounds of trash along eight miles of NM State Highway 165 on March 15.
Jardineros de Placitas organized the event to celebrate the organization’s 60th anniversary as a local service and social group. Volunteers from the Placitas Community Library and Las Placitas Presbyterian Church also participated.
Founded in 1965 as a garden and bridge club, Jardineros de Placitas has grown to over 175 members who provide charitable support and hold educational meetings. The expanded cleanup, which usually covers one mile of highway, paid tribute to the group’s early “Flower Power” tradition of keeping the roadsides clean.
“Jardineros and our partner organizations are taking actor Bryan Cranston’s ‘Keep Litter Out of My Territory’ words to heart,” said Cheryl Betterly, Jardineros vice president and chair of the highway cleanup team. “We support our state’s new anti-litter campaign and urge everyone to break bad habits and not trash our Land of Enchantment’s beautiful scenery and roadways.”