Since 2020, Engage Estero’s effort, headed by Julie Yellig and many volunteers, has kept our environment pristine and a special place to live. This effort, along with many others participating in road adoption programs or picking up litter on their regular walks, is an important part of our vision to create a beautiful and environmentally healthy Estero. Everyone’s work and presence to clean up the rubbish from our roads makes a difference. It helps to make residents proud of where we live, adds to home values, and sets Estero apart from other municipalities.
Four years ago, the idea to clean up our roads stemmed from Julie’s feeling that there was a need for our community to do better with litter prevention and removal. She was a daily walker and volunteered to pick up litter at her County Park in Cincinnati. She said it was an easy transition to explore what was already in place here in Lee County and what resources were available.
Julie spoke to Lori Huff at the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and explained the process. As a result, Julie set up the program involving a small group of 8-10 volunteers at a time, rotating different groups from around the Estero Community each month between October and April.
Since the end of last season, volunteers from Rapallo, Pelican Sound, RiverCreek, Bella Terra, Copperleaf, The Vines, Shadow Wood, Grandezza, and Riverwoods collected 860 pounds of bagged litter, including this weekend (October 19th). Congratulations to all involved.
As a reminder, the Adopt a Highway program area covers the distance between the Vines entrance (Breckenridge Road) north of Walmart and south of Coconut Road.
Marathon/Dos Amigos Authentic Mexican Grill has again chosen to provide water and ice for the volunteers this season. Engage Estero’s management deeply appreciates their continued support for the volunteers who help with litter collection along Hwy 41.
Since the program was started on US 41, with Julie’s help, the work of others, and the support of Estero’s Village manager, Steve Sarkozy, and the Keep Lee County Beautiful Program, the clean-up has expanded to other roads in Estero. These include, but are not limited to:
If you’d like to help clean up our roads and positively impact the environment, please email Julie Yellig at ecclhwy41@gmail.com. She will connect you with local groups working to maintain our road network and provide information on how to assist with the Hwy 41 Adopt-a-Highway program.
