07/26/2008

By PRATIK JOSHI  / Associated Press

Pasco High School student Cody Deines is eager to pitch in to clean up the mess along Washington highways.

It's about making the environment better, said the 15-year-old, who's been picking up litter with five other Pasco High students along U.S. Highway 395 near Connell since June 23.

They are part of a statewide program, the Ecology Youth Corps, run by the State Department of Ecology for students ages 14 to 17.

This year, more than 300 students will work in two four-week sessions to help clean up highways. The students get paid about $8 an hour for working five days a week under adult supervision.

It's more about teaching environmental ethics, said Rod Hankinson, regional litter administrator for the Ecology Department in Yakima.

Hundreds apply for the youth corps program, but only a few make the final cut, he said.

Youth corps members help remove more than 1.1 million pounds of litter a year from state roadways.

The Pasco group has so far picked up hundreds of plastic bags, water bottles, cans and old tires, said Hector Lopez, 17, also of Pasco High.

The group starts at 7 a.m. and works until 2:30 p.m. with water breaks in between, said Lopez, who first worked in the corps last year. Working under the blazing sun is tiring, but it leaves him with a satisfied feeling, Lopez said. Team members look out for one another, and that also has helped polish his people skills, he said.

It's a great experience that helps build character, said Oleg Grinchuk, 15, a Richland High student who has been working on Interstate 82 near Benton City since June 30. The money is good too, he said, adding that it's difficult to find a job in retail.

Alisha Till, 17, who's also part of the five-member Richland High cleanup group, said sometimes she regrets her decision to join but she's not quitting because she wants to do environment-related work when she grows up.

Annabel Naccarato, supervisor of the Pasco team, watches the students and helps them recognize when it becomes too hot to work. Naccarato, 49, works for Pasco School District and said she enjoys being with "kids." She has worked with the program since the early '80s.

Richland team supervisor Gabriel Darbyson, an English teacher at Sunnyside High School, is in his sixth season with the youth corps. He said the program keeps him busy in summer. "It's not all that bad," said Darbyson, 35, who served in the U.S. Army from 1991-95.

Everyone just drinks a lot of water and takes frequent breaks to beat the heat, he said.