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.

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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