As residents of Argyle drive along F.M. 407, trash litters the sides of the road and its ditches. Argyles parks grow bare with lifeless fields of mowed grass. Chemical fertilizers run off into streams and affect water quality. All these issues seem to be consuming Argyle, but one organization has stepped up to take on these tasks: Keep Argyle Beautiful.

Keep Argyle Beautiful is a local organization made up of volunteer environmentalists with the goal of helping educate and participate in environmental preservation and clean up, alongside the maintenance and creation of displays inside Argyle. Keep Argyle Beautiful was established in 2007, and became an affiliate of Keep Texas Beautiful by meeting the state organization’s guidelines. Keep Argyle Beautiful is made up of a board of seven citizens along with its chairperson, Kathy Salisbury, and treasurer Lisa Marlow. 

“I came to Keep Argyle Beautiful, wanting help on behalf of the Intermediate School Environmental Club, when my daughter attended there,” Salisbury said.

Salisbury has always had an interest in environmentalism. She joined Keep Argyle Beautiful in 2009 and has been a member since then. Salisbury became the chairperson of Keep Argyle Beautiful in 2019 after the last chairperson moved out of Argyle. Since then Keep Argyle Beautiful has become more involved with the community. 

“Our big thing we do is we host the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Festival,” Salisbury said. 

The annual Christmas Tree Lighting Festival is a special event held in Argyle shared between multiple local churches. The event used to be held by the town of Argyle, but after the town stopped holding the event Keep Argyle Beautiful stepped in. Keep Argyle Beautiful plans the event alongside the support of local businesses and churches. Planning for the event usually starts in August so Keep Argyle Beautiful can stay ahead of a large project. 

“I think we are doing a pretty good job at becoming the town of many American flags,” Salisbury said. 

Keep Argyle Beautiful also helps with the annual American flag display through the Denton Rotary Club. The flags are displayed annually for six American holidays along the roads of Argyle. The display started in 2019 and as Keep Argyle Beautiful helps get the word out, the Boy Scouts set them up. Recently the town of Argyle has joined by helping fund and put the flag display up around the town. 

“A future project we would like to do is Adopt-A-Highway, down 407, or 1830,” Salisbury said. 

Currently, Keep Argyle Beautiful does litter cleanup projects along Argyles roads and rural highways. Recently Keep Argyle Beautiful alongside All About Babies, officially Adopted-A-Highway along two miles of F.M. 1830. Filing to Adopt-A-Highway allows for additional resources to be available to the organization like litter bag collection, or safety vests. With all these projects there are still other issues hindering Keep Argyle Beautiful.

“Trying to be environmental and get the word out at the same time, can be a little tricky, on a budget,” Salisbury said. 

Advertisements can be expensive for a local organization, but it is crucial to Keep Argyle Beautiful. Overconsumption or environmentally damaging advertising is not an option for Keep Argyle Beautiful. With this is mind, the organization is making getting the general public involved with its mission a priority.

“We need help, more boots on the ground will get more work done,” Salisbury said.

As Argyle grows, environmental issues could grow with it. Recent development and an increase in population have caused litter to increase along Argyle roads. Watersheds are also threatened by developments due to runoff from chemicals and sediment. Keep Argyle Beautiful wants to keep up with these issues. 

“I don’t have a problem with the development, I mean it’s part of growth,” Salisbury said “It’s been a plan in our town how to handle that.” 

The group believes smart growth is a key aspect of preserving the environment while accommodating the growth Argyle has experienced. Keep Argyle Beautiful continues to work around the community by recycling, reusing, and reducing the human impact. Another one of the organization’s missions is to help educate the community about these environmental issues the town faces.

“Everything green, we should be educating our residents, adults to adults and also to children,” Salisbury said. 

Keep Argyle Beautiful is open to the community to get more involved in projects, help inform others, and develop care about the community and the local environment. Keep Argyle Beautiful continues to do community projects across Argyle to better and maintain the town. Some of their other programs are an egg recycling program, a recycled plastic bench program, and a Nordstrom beauty cycle program ending in November. Keep Argyle Beautiful has a website that holds information on how to get more involved, and resources to help go green. Members hold monthly meetings every last Monday of the month at Fire Station 511 located at 511 Gibbons Rd. The organization also has an active presence on social media like X, formerly Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, showing off their work.