Let’s stop waiting for someone else to clean up our county. It’s on us.
We all see the trash blowing across the brush and piling up on the shoulders. I started the Keep Costilla Beautiful group so we can finally organize and do something about it.
I’ve adopted my own 2-mile stretch of Highway 159 that I clean up on Sundays. My plan is simple: once I knock my section out for the month, I want to come help YOU knock yours out. If a few of us step up to adopt sections and then team up to tackle them together, we can clear these roads in record time.
We are also going to use this group as a community dispatch board. If you see a bad spot or a dumped pile, drop a pin or a cross-street in the group so we know exactly where to focus our boots on the ground.
If you are ready to put some sweat equity into the valley, here is exactly how to navigate the state’s system and claim your own section of road.
How to Adopt-A-Highway in Costilla County (The Real Step-by-Step):
Step 1: Find Your Stretch - CDOT doesn’t show “available” sections clearly, so you have to use their data map. Go to the CDOT OTIS Map here: Highway Data Explorer
Choose Costilla County and zoom into the area you want.
Pick a 2-mile strip using the mile markers on the map.
Crucial Detail: Note the exact highway number shown on this specific map (e.g., 142A instead of just 142). CDOT uses these internal numbers to track the adoptions. See the attached screenshot for an example of how to pick your markers!)
Step 2: Submit the Application - Fill out the volunteer application on the CDOT site. Make sure you select the “Spruce Up Colorado (Volunteer)” option. (The other option is to pay to clean an interstate, and since we don’t have interstates out here, ignore that one).
Step 3: Embrace the 1990s (Safety First) - All volunteers MUST watch the official safety videos before picking up trash. They appear to be glorious relics from the mid-1990s. Grab some popcorn and watch them here: Safety Videos - Colorado Department of Transportation
Step 4: The Waiting Game - Be prepared to be patient. It took me about 3 months of waiting and trading emails with the program coordinator before I finally got my official approval from CDOT. Don’t give up—just keep following up.
Step 5: Get Your Free Gear & Leave the Bags - Once approved, CDOT provides you with high-visibility safety vests and the official heavy-duty orange trash bags. When you do your cleanup, you don’t have to haul the trash to the dump. Just tie up the orange bags, leave them under your Adopt-A-Highway sign, and CDOT maintenance crews will drive by and pick them up.
Go claim a section, invite your neighbors to this group, and let me know when your cleanup days are so I can come lend a hand. Let’s get to work!