Spring is almost here and so is the one-year anniversary of PennDOT's Adopt-A-Highway program.

Following the lead of other states, Pennsylvania is doing more to keep communities litter-free, said Rick Schoen, assistant press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Adopt-A-Highway, which began last April, asks volunteers to keep two-mile sections of a highway litter free.

"The program is a good volunteer effort to draw people into helping the environment," Schoen said.

Port Matilda Grange No. 1284, part of a national organization of farmers, was the first to join the effort against litter in Centre County, said JoAnn Beck, clerical supervisor and coordinator for Adopt-A-Highway in Centre County.

Former University Professor of Curriculum and Instruction Jane Madsen, leader of the Port Matilda Grange's effort, said she read about the program in an article published in the Centre Daily Times last year. Madsen retired in June 1989.

"Missouri and Texas have effective Adopt-A-Highway programs, and their highways are sparkling," Madsen said.

The Grange, which usually has eight to 16 volunteers for each clean-up date, has no problem getting people to help, Madsen said. It takes at least two hours to clean a section of highway depending on the amount of litter and number of volunteers, she said.

During the program's first year, 500 groups volunteered, as opposed to 200 groups in other states, Schoen said.

To mark the one-year anniversary of the program, the Veterans of the Vietnam War group in Franklin County will receive a certificate for being the 500th group to volunteer, Schoen said.

The Adopt-A-Highway program is unlike other volunteer programs because participants must sign a two-year contract that commits them to picking up litter at least four times a year, Beck said. This program is more effective because a group chooses the area it wants, Beck said.

Schoen said the required age of a participant may change from 10 to eight years because many Boy Scout groups want to volunteer.

The groups involved in the program in Centre County are Port Matilda Grange, Port Matilda, Union Grange No. 325 in Unionville, and Mel and Trudy Furner of Centre Hall, Beck said. She said there are five other groups pending approval from Harrisburg.

Jill Swanson, coordinator of the Adopt-A-Highway program for Uni-Mart, 477 E. Beaver Ave., said Uni-mart is involved in five counties besides Centre County. Approval for their participation in the Centre County program is under consideration, she said.

"We joined the program to show that Uni-Mart cares about keeping Pennsylvania beautiful," Swanson said.

If a group fails to pick up litter in its designated area four times per year, the sign on the highway naming the responsible organization is taken down, Madsen said.

According to a news release, PennDOT estimates it spent nearly $30 million in highway clean up in the past five years.

The Adopt-A-Highway program will lessen the burden on PennDOT to keep Pennsylvania litter-free, Beck said.