Faculty and students from the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences spent their Saturday cleaning a portion of the Cedar Creek Trail.

Approximately a dozen students and a couple faculty members participated in the service, which involved cleaning a portion of Cedar Creek near South 11. The project began around 9 a.m. and ended at 1 p.m. Merissa Ford, senior agriculture and business major from Maple Valley, Wash., said the volunteers cleaned about a mile of the creek.

“It was awful when we first got there,” Ford said. “It looked really good when we were done.”

Ford said the department is planning to adopt a section of the creek and eventually set up benches for walkers and bikers to enjoy the scenic beauty.

“I like doing things to improve the environment and the city that we’re in,” Ford said.

The department has plans to work on the creek two more times this semester. Mandy Scudder, administrative coordinator of the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, said this effort was part of a larger Cedar Creek Cleanup project.

“This is a wonderful project taking place in Abilene, and our faculty and students are excited about it and are getting involved,” Scudder said.

Visit cedarcreekwaterway.org for more information.