A number of outdoorsmen and women, young and old will be cleaning trash and beautifying the banks of Big Trout Run Creek at 8 a.m. Saturday.

Members of the Springside SportsmenClub are getting ready for their first creek cleaning.Treasurer Lisa Herzog says the group decided to organize the cleanup after seeing trash along the creek while members fished there."We saw lots of Styrofoam, there were gym bags, dirty clothes, probably lots of tires, it was unreal," Herzog says. "We think it sets a bad example."We think this would be a very positive thing for the community."Club secretary Abel Boyer also said that it embodies one of the group's goals."We want to show that we don't just stock fish and keep care of them at the hatchery, we also care about the community."The Springside Sportsmen Club was founded in 1955 where it originally operated at the Slatington Ski Club. The Fish Commission supplied it with fish for years until the club was told it would lose its donations if the donated fish were not stocked in public waters.In the mid 1970s, the club relocated its hatchery to the one on Main Street in Slatington. Since then, the club has maintained the hatchery and stocked local creeks while helping train successive generations of fishermen and women in the sport.The club has grown in size since its move, adopting official officers in 2014 and becoming a nonprofit community charity last July. They have since also been able to add feeders, nets and pumping systems to their hatchery as well.Efforts to clean up creeks are also part of the club's mission now that it has expanded in recent years, says President Lorne Palansky. Officers say they would also like to see as many young volunteers join them at the cleanup as they can."Another one of our goals here is to get the young kids involved," Palansky says. "That way we can pass the torch."Officers say efforts to maintain the hatchery and provide charitable services like the creek clean up are possible through volunteers. They encourage anyone who wants to help to join them on Saturday, where they will begin at the covered bridge in Slatington.So far, officers say, they have received support from two local fire companies and a local Girl Scout troop. Still, anyone who wants to help is welcome.Palansky said the group hopes to work with the Liberty USO to help children who have lost parents learn to fish, as well as to look into other ways to serve the community.To get involved with the Springside Sportsmen Club in other ways, visit A.F. Boyer Hardware Store in Slatington, visit the group's Facebook page, or call 610-730-7045.