LUKE TURF

Cleaning up trash along the immigration superhighway that winds through the desert around Tucson is no easy task, but $1.5 million in federal funding has helped public land managers make a dent, officials said.

And U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe, the Arizona Republican who helped secure the funds last year, hopes to bring more aid.

Anyone who has driven or hiked routes leading to Mexico from the Tucson area has likely noticed backpacks and clothes shed by immigrants sneaking into the country. Even more common are trademark plastic water jugs discarded by immigrants.

About 3.3 tons of trash were picked up in Cochise County, and about 500 cubic yards were removed from other lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service, said Bill Childress, manager of San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area.

"We actually have got ahead of the curve in most of the areas," Childress said.

Trash left by immigrants also was removed from Ironwood Forest National Monument and county lands, Childress said.

Three contractors were hired to manage cleanups. Some young people were paid to clean, and others volunteered, Childress said.

Some of the money might be used for trail restoration and erasing impromptu routes created by immigrants, he said.

"It has been absolutely beneficial, regardless if it builds up again. If we didn't get ahead of the curve, we'd have had a real mess," Childress said.

Trash isn't building up as quickly as he expected, but he stopped short of attributing the drop to a decrease in traffic or Border Patrol effectiveness.

Kolbe said he plans to request more funds for cleanups.

A Bureau of Land Management report to Congress estimated it would cost $20 million to remove all border trash in southeastern Arizona.