From heartbreak to action, Christina Stoll leads the Earth Day Clean-up celebration April 22, the day the nation honors Earth Day.

“People just pop out their beer cans, glass; they shoot out there and leave trash everywhere,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking for me to see that.”

Creativity manager at Great Outdoors Adventures, Stoll plans to march into the forest with 50 enthusiasts to get rid of trash, such as furniture, rugs, ammunition, electronics and plastic.  

“It’s hard to see that when you want to go out to admire the beauty, so I figured it was time to do something,” she said. “I have always dreamed of having a big cleanup on Earth Day.”

Volunteers with Teller Trail Team, a nonprofit organization, will join the cleanup along with her parents Drew and Angelica Stoll, founders and owners of GOA in Woodland Park.

Stoll, who grew up in Fort Collins, developed a connection to the outdoors in high school when the teacher encouraged the students to clean and pick up trash outside.

“I just remember that being incredibly rewarding,” she said. “My dad has always been big in maintaining national forest and sustainability, just cleaning up in general.”

Stoll’s youthful experiences eventually led to the Earth Day Clean-up event that takes off from 1 to 1:30 p.m. April 22 at Great Outdoors Colorado at 720 U.S. Hwy 24.  Participants leave with supplies and a guide in a UTV or Jeep, and work in the forest from 2 to 5 p.m.

The event concludes at GOA with food and celebration. For those who want to ride on their own, GOA offers a 50% discount on the UTVs.

In addition to GOA and Teller Trail Team, Pikes Peak Ranch and Apex Waste Solutions sponsor the event.

Earth Day Cleanup is limited to 50 and registration is at www.goaadventures.org.