WILTON — A bright, calm but chilly Sunday morning found about a dozen members of the Wilton Fish and Game Association (WFG) at their clubhouse around 8 a.m., awaiting game wardens with a plan of attack on localized illegal dumping. Warden Kris MacCabe was first to arrive followed by Wardens Mike Pierre and Dan Christianson.

The plan was that MacCabe and Pierre would take a few volunteers to the Red Schoolhouse Road in Farmington for pickup. Meanwhile club member Charles Tappan would take the rest to the Ridge Road in Chesterville to collect illegally dumped material along that road. MacCabe would then meet up with them on the Ridge Road while Warden Cpl. Dave Chabot would, coming from Gray, meet all there, towing a large dump trailer.

Tappan’s crew, consisting of Wally Backus, Charlie Lord, Butch and Sharon Borthwick, Richard Cousins, Alan Paradis and later Phil and Stacie Maurais went to the Fayette Town Line and started north, about 9 a.m. About half way thru the session, “Sam” Paradis, Alan’s daughter arrived with a cooler of cold water.

Soon met by MacCabe and Chabot, all continued north on the Ridge Road. At about 10.30 a.m. all went to the Inland Fish and Wildlife office in Strong to unload several truckloads of trash and tires. While on the Ridge Road a man stopped to thank the group for what it was doing.

Tappan said by his brief conversation with the group, he thought he was a local.

Lots of tires were unloaded in a separate pile with trash going into a dumpster. Chabot then went to the Riley Road in Jay with Rich Cousins, the Borthwicks and Charlie Lord for more trash pick-up.

Tappan took his crew to a location in Industry, an ATV trail MacCabe had checked out some time ago off the Mosher Hill Road. Two trucks had to be backed in some distance to access three piles of tires and other trash. One truck was filled with tires, the other with trash.

MacCabe and Pierre went to the Brunswick Road in Chesterville.

The Tappan crew unloaded back in Strong about 1.30 p.m. About 1.45 p.m. MacCabe and Pierre arrived with another truck full of tires and trash. All were secured about 2 p.m.

Chabot had another trailer full from the Riley Road and left for Gray.

“I’m told by club members with him that they were most appreciative that he drove right to the tires,” Tappan noted. “Otherwise they would have had to carry (them) a long ways.

“Throughout the day the WFG crew told me how much they enjoyed the day and the time spent with the wardens, despite the hard work.”

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