Boy Scouts tackle littering along Scenic Drive

EL PASO, Texas -- A group of El Paso Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts spent their entire Sunday valiantly trying to make a dent in the flow of trash and discarded items that have built up around certain areas of Scenic Drive.

“We meet these obstacles and I got to the point where I said we will just come out and do it ourselves," said Troop 4 Scoutmaster Sam Snoddy.

According to Snoddy, his attempts to approach the city about the littering issue have been met with what he calls a 'bureaucratic nightmare.'

“They say they are only responsible for Scenic Drive and the roadway," said Snoddy, "because the land to the left and right is private property.”

With his platoon of scouts, they broke down into squads and descended down steep rocky slopes, teenagers all the way down to 10-year-olds.

“They are adults so you don’t expect them to litter but they do and yeah, just pick up after yourself," said Cub Scout Kirsten Munguia. “I did not expect this to happen with adults.”

The sight of the kids at work was not lost on those passing by enjoying their day.

“It breaks my heart," said David Dawson. "I mean, you have such a beautiful city but the people here do not care about the city and they throw stuff out of their cars and out of the bed of their pickups.”

Over the course of the day, the scouts rounded up enough trash to fill 50 large bags, but left knowing that much more work is needed on the area.