The Appearance Commission of Polk County recently recognized several group efforts that commission members say have really helped the way things look in Polk County.

In October, volunteers participated in the Big Sweep and cleaned up over a half ton of trash along five miles of Green River and more than of a mile of Vaughns Creek on the proposed Vaughn Creek Greenway in Tryon. Many of the volunteers were from the Polk County High School Green Team.

The 37 Adopt-a-Highway groups in Polk County commit to picking up litter along a two-mile stretch four times a year.&bsp; These litter-free areas make a good impression on area visitors and show that Polk County does have pride in keeping things clean. Check out other areas that still need adopting at Beautifulfoothills.org.

Another group that got the commissions attention for cleaning up an area is the Saluda Community Land Trust (SCLT). The group has been behind an effort to keep kudzu from taking over the Saluda area of Polk County.

At a demonstration site along Ozone Drive (the road off the interstate leading to Saluda) the scillets were seen digging out kudzu roots and crowns every Thursday morning for the last three months. This learning by doing demonstration area touched a real focal point leading into Saluda.

Commission members say they hope the folks who helped save this spot will continue their work in other areas of the county. The appearance commission has trees as its main focus and kudzu kills trees. The group says it is working on saving Polk Countys trees.