SURF continues Respect the Land Cleanup Day tradition

Volunteers at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) got their hands dirty cleaning up, painting, and tidying the property during the annual Respect the Land Clean-Up Day. 

Teams tackled projects around campus, including trash pickup along Kirk Road and Park Avenue, planting and landscaping improvements, painting, parking lot cleanup, maintenance near the Yates and Ross entry corridors, and beautification efforts at the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center.

In total volunteers removed more than two tons of debris, gravel, and rock along roads and sidewalks across the facility. Additionally, the City of Lead and SDSTA have established an Adopt‑a‑Road agreement for Kirk Road, directly below the Ross and Yates Headframes. Through this partnership, SDSTA has committed to keeping Kirk Road beautiful by regularly picking up trash. Clean-Up Day volunteers collected three large trash bags along this stretch of road and the Mickelson Trail. The effort also included adding various plants in front of the Yates Administration Building, the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center, and Čhaŋgléška Wakȟáŋ. This includes more than 40 plants including native species like Bearberry (Čhaŋlí Wápe) and Breadroot Scurfpea (Thíŋpsiŋla) along with white and purple prairie clover, and button blazing star.         

Members of SURF’s Emergency Response Team utilized their rope rescue skills to rappel down a steep slope near the Yates Administration Building and remove debris blown in during past high wind events.

Sarah Wortman, the building and grounds foreman at SURF lead the effort. 

“It’s great to see people so willing to come together to make the site more beautiful and welcoming,” Wortman said. “Having volunteers from so many different departments makes all the difference, and this day wouldn’t be a success without everyone pitching in. Thank you to all who participated.”

Bonita Goode, environmental manager at SURF, notes this annual Respect the Land Clean-Up Day is about more than housekeeping tied directly to SURF’s Core Value of environmental protection.

"The Respect the Land cleanup effort has its roots in an observation made by the SURF Community Relations Committee, which resulted in the partnership of the Environmental, Health, and Safety, Communications, Surface Operations, and the Finance Departments. This collaboration resulted in a Respect the Land Standard aimed at removing obsolete equipment stored outside in a timely manner and the implementation of an annual cleanup day," Goode said.  "The cleanup day gives employees the chance to participate in environmental protection and to develop an understanding of the cultural importance of the land on which SURF operates."

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