As the sky turns dark to dawn, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. John Bishop makes his way to Ascarate Park with trash bags in hand, hoping to help beautify the El Paso gem nestled in the Lower Valley.
“This is the highlight of the city besides the awesome mountains that we have, especially for someone who is not from here,” Bishop said.
Bishop and his wife moved to the Sun City a few months ago after a three-year tour in Japan. He’s inspiring others to clean up the 400-acre park, and most recently, his actions sparked conversation in a now-viral post , with many El Pasoans praising him for his good deed.
“We came from Okinawa, a very tropical island,” Bishop said. “So, coming to El Paso we were trying to look for bodies of water. We decided to take a walk around the park, and I noticed some areas of concern with the trash.”
Bishop recalled seeing water bottles, beer cans and cigarette butts floating in the water, while some of the lake’s plants were entangled with plastic bags.
The airman captured a photo of a turtle maneuvering around trash in the lake.