The twice a year cleanup of Hobolochitto Creek is extraordinary.

Outdoor publications praise efforts by voluntary citizen organizations around the nation to clean up creeks and other wetlands because such efforts are relatively rare. What is obvious to all who love the outdoors is that more such cleanups need to take place.

Shortly after the local cleanup began, the Mississippi Wildlife Federation recognized the local effort with one of its annual awards for conservation.

Now might be the time for the local group to expand its efforts along the length of the creek, actually two creeks, in the county. West Hobolochitto and East Hobolochitto come together to form a single creek near the Hermitage.

The organization responsible for the effort is working on that portion of one branch of the creek that comes into Picayune. The two creeks extend several miles through the county and an effort to clean up – and keep clean – those creeks would be of great benefit to the entire county.

Pearl River County is fortunate to border the Pearl River, have a portion of the Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge, portions of Desoto National Forest, the state Wolf River Wildlife Management area and the entire state Old River Wildlife Management Area within its boundaries. These attributes give the many outdoors men and women in the county plenty of territory for hunting, fishing, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, bird watching, camping and other outdoor pursuits.

A clean and navigable Hobolochitto Creek would greatly add to the inventory of outdoor recreation area. Advertising these attributes on the county’s and city’s websites could bring more visitors to Picayune and Pearl River County to travel and fish the creek and many of them probably would spend money in local businesses.

Also, those whose land borders the creek or whose property it runs through could charge a small amount for people to launch and take out their watercraft and carry both the recreationists and watercraft back to their starting points.

Cleaning up the creek, or creeks, could be a win-win for everyone.