While visiting in Maine, Susan Race of Middlesex Township watched a sea gull pick up a McDonald's food wrapper in a parking lot and try to fly away.

Race chased the bird but couldn't catch it. As it rose into the air, the bird swallowed the wrapper whole.

"I don't know if it could live with that," Race said concerned about the bird's airway, if not its digestive tract.

Along with Don Eyth of Butler, Race pledged to pick up litter along Park Road from Route 8 to Route 228 in the township on Saturday as part of The Great Pennsylvania Cleanup.

The state cleanup is part of the national Great American Cleanup, sponsored by Keep America Beautiful, Inc. While the program runs from March 1 to May 31, communities were asked to plan cleanups for Saturday to coincide with Earth Day.

Nearly a dozen cleanups were scheduled in Butler County, most of which were Saturday.

"Litter is disrespectful," said Race. "I can't stand litter. If I could, I would pick up every single road I drive into work."

In addition to becoming eyesores, Race said food wrappers discarded along the road attract animals and cause more of them to be hit by cars.

"It makes me sad to see such disrespect for our country," she said.

Cleanup participants who registered their event with the state were provided with trash bags, gloves and reflective vests, said Barb DeRose, Adopt-A-Highway coordinator for the county.

"If you ever walk along any highway, you can see the amount of trash thrown out and it's really bad," she said.

Environmental issues are not championed by everyone. But families, businesses, sororities and fraternities, groups such as the Lions Club and Freemasons participated in the Earth Day cleanup, DeRose said.

"Practically every facet of society has a group. It's an effort. We try to keep our Earth clean and these people, they take it seriously, and they're offended by junk they see on the highway and they want to make it better."

During the 2005 Great Pennsylvania Cleanup, 140,000 volunteers cleared trash from 11,000 miles of road, 12,000 acres of parks and 3,500 miles streams, DeRose said. More than 315,000 litter bags were filled, weighing 3,150 tons.

Additionally, thousands of volunteers planted tens of thousands of trees and flowers.

"I think it definitely makes a difference," DeRose said.

Race said she goes out and picks up trash whenever she has time.

"We picked up Park Road two years ago and filled up the back of Dodge pickup, twice," which yielded about 75 large trash bags, she said. "And it's bad again."