Record turnout at annual Spangerbach cleanup unites on, off-base community in environmental stewardship > Spangdahlem Air Base > News

The village of Spangdahlem hosted the largest turnout in the 27-year history of its annual Spangerbach creek cleanup April 25, drawing German residents and U.S. service members together for a morning of environmental stewardship along the waterway that gave the village its name. Spangdahlem Mayor Alois Gerten opened the Saturday morning event at the Spangdahlem volunteer fire department, welcoming the crowd before teams fanned out through the surrounding countryside.

“It is a pleasure to welcome you all on this sunny day,” Gerten said. “We celebrate this annual tradition on an ideal day in Spangdahlem. It is truly a pleasure to see such a large group of our German residents and American fellow residents deciding to come out to do something good for our environment. For that, a heartfelt thank you.”

Christian Thurner, environmental scientist with the 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron, followed the mayor with remarks emphasizing the connection between Spangdahlem Air Base operations and the local watershed. “We want to be good stewards for the environment,” Thurner said. “Our activities on base can affect Spangdahlem and Spangdahlem’s creeks, and so this is an important way we can make a good impact and take care of our shared resources.”

The Spangerbach is a small creek that runs between the historic halves of the village, the former settlements of Spang and Dahlem, which merged into a single municipality in 1969. It is part of the broader Eifel watershed and its tributaries flow through the rolling hills, forests and pastures that define the landscape of this community of roughly 900 residents, directly neighboring Spangdahlem Air Base. The cleanup event, which first launched in 1999, has taken place every year since with the exception of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said. Thurner, who has participated for 20 years said this year’s event was the biggest he has ever seen.

“This event is especially important because we impact the creeks and communities and we want to show we’re good stewards for the environment and good neighbors,” Thurner said. “In my experience, this is the biggest turnout ever. The youth fire department is contributing a lot, so it is great to see a lot of young people participating as well.”

Thurner said he was particularly glad to see Unit Environmental Coordinators from across the base take part. Unit Environmental Coordinators, or UECs, are appointed personnel within Air Force squadrons who serve as the primary points of contact for environmental compliance in their organizations. They oversee hazardous materials management, waste handling, water resource protection and spill prevention within their units.

Our commitment to spill prevention and stormwater control translates into a tangible, positive effect on the health of our surrounding environment.Christian Thurner, 52 CES

“Many of them may be responsible for refueling activities, deicing or other activities and it is important for them to see that air base measures to protect our local waterways are really vital,” Thurner said. “Our commitment to spill prevention and stormwater control translates into a tangible, positive effect on the health of our surrounding environment.”

The environmental office provided participants with leaflets describing the creek’s past restoration projects along with natural and local historic highlights of the area before groups split up by age and ability, equipped with gloves and trash bags, and went to work throughout the verdant landscape surrounding the village.

Among the volunteers was U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Janey Sawmiller, a weapons quality assurance inspector with the 52nd Maintenance Group and a current student at the Kisling Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Ramstein Air Base.

“It is really important for our group to come out, get to know one another and practice teamwork, and doing something good for our German community at the same time is really cool,” Sawmiller said. “Some of us may be hesitant to talk to locals in the community initially, so coming out and connecting with our neighbors is really nice. And obviously, this allows us to also do something good for the environment, which is great.”

Teams climbed into the creek’s ravines and streambed throughout the morning, pulling out debris and hauling full bags back to the fire station. Sawmiller said her group encountered some unexpected finds, including old metal drums, building materials, beer bottles and broken glass.

“It is great to network with our German partners and neighbors and take back some shared experience,” Sawmiller said. After the cleanup, participants gathered at the fire station, where they socialized over German bratwurst and American sodas, a fitting end to a morning that, like the village of Spangdahlem itself, brings two cultures together over common ground.