Volunteers clean up downtown ML, plant trees
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months, 2 weeks AGO
From left: Kari Rodriguez, Erick Rodriguez and Eli Rodriguez were among the Moses Lake residents who went through the downtown core Saturday morning picking up trash and debris.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Volunteers wrangle an oak tree into the ground at Neppel Landing Saturday morning, in conjunction with the Downtown Moses Lake Association’s Spring Cleaning.
The DMLA’s Spring Cleaning brought out helpers of all ages to collect trash in the downtown core.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | April 29, 2026 3:15 AM
MOSES LAKE — The downtown core of Moses Lake is tidier due to the work of about 75 people at the Downtown Moses Lake Association’s annual Spring Cleaning Saturday morning.
“I expected to see more trash, but we did a lot of picking up of weeds,” said Sara Guadarrama, “Weeds and cigarette butts.”
Guadarrama and her coworker Kari Rodriguez were part of a group from Moses Lake Industries who came out together. Other local companies also came out in force for the event.
“Moses Lake Industries and Sila Nanotechnologies wanted to work together for an Earth Day collab,” Rodriguez said. “We coordinated with the city and with DMLA … I saw a bunch of people from LocalTel and a couple of people from Genie. There a lot of groups out here.”
About 75 people came out altogether, Guadarrama said.
“I think we had more people here than we did last year,” City Council Member Joel Graves said. “It was a huge turnout, old to young. We had some little (ones), we had some families come out, we had some older people.”
“And a dog,” DMLA Executive Director Mallory Miller added. “I should have brought treats.”
The cleanup has been a DMLA tradition in Moses Lake for many years. With grabbers, gloves and trash bags donated by Lowe’s, volunteers went street by street and alley by alley picking up whatever had blown around or been tossed on the ground. This year, the scope of the operation increased to include the lake shore at Neppel Landing.
“There was quite a bit down along the steep edge (of the lake), said David Champoux. “Lots of stuff from fishermen, probably some (from) homeless people.”
“It was a good experience, especially since I used to run there,” said Nahir Vasquez.
Vasquez and Champoux had filled a bag with about 15 pounds of debris, they said.
“I think a lot of the weight was because there was a lot of plastic in the water,” Champoux said. “… Lots of beer cans and plastic bags.”
Besides cleaning up Neppel Landing, volunteers also planted two oak trees at the park.
“They’ll be ready in 70 years,” Miller said.
“We love that the Downtown Moses Lake Association made this an annual thing,” Graves said. “We want to do more of it. There’s a huge untapped potential of people who want to see our city cleaned up. The whole city is wrapping its arms around this.”
Volunteers wrangle an oak tree into the ground at Neppel Landing Saturday morning, in conjunction with the Downtown Moses Lake Association’s Spring Cleaning.
The DMLA’s Spring Cleaning brought out helpers of all ages to collect trash in the downtown core.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Endless battle
Noxious Weed Control Board works to keep invasive plants under control
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BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 16-24
COLUMBIA BASIN — Whether you feel like shopping, crafting, learning or seeing a show, there’s something happening for you this week in the Basin. Oct. 16 ‘My Family (Mi Familia)’ screening Spanning three generations, “My Family (Mi Familia)” is a heartfelt drama that follows the Sánchez family as they build their lives in East Los Angeles. Through love, hardship, triumph, and sacrifice, the film explores the immigrant experience, the strength of family bonds, and the traditions that connect one generation to the next. Lowrider show and taco truck before the screening. Sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, EDUBS C/S and the Moses Lake Creative District. $12 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St. Tickets and info: www.cba-arts.org.
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