MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — Volunteers from the Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau, the Pocono Chamber of Commerce, and the United Way, found, picked up and threw out trash at Minisink Park in Smithfield Township.
It's all part of an effort to keep the Poconos clean and green, but with more people coming to visit, volunteers say you can expect more trash.
"We are just seeing an overrun of people utilizing our local, state, and federal parks, and it's just the shared volume of people," said Chris Barrett, Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau.
The visitors bureau says a vast majority of those visitors are not local.
They are out-of-state visitors coming from places like New York and New Jersey.
And many of them don't clean up.
Residents who were out enjoying the park are thankful that there are people who want to clean up.
"It's physically impossible to pick up every ounce of garbage there is, but I do feel like the locals do a good job, even if they're not coming out here to clean up. If they see something, they'll pick it up, and they'll throw it out," said Blakeslee resident Michael Kelly.
Around the park, you'll find signs posted, reminding visitors to not litter and to pick up their trash when they leave.
"We want them to visit. We want them to enjoy the Pocono Mountains, but they need to take their trash and dispose of it properly or take it back with them so that our residents, as well as more guests who come after them, can enjoy it," Barrett said.
"It's important because people want a beautiful park, and they don't want to be seeing garbage, especially when trash cans are all over the place," Kelly said.
As the summer continues, the visitors bureau hopes that those coming to the visit will clean up after themselves.