For Immediate Release: Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Contacts:
Lexi Black, Central Idaho Community Engagement Specialist (208) 345-6933 x 302
Idaho environmental organizations call for volunteers in annual cleanup of Sawtooth National Recreation Area
KETCHUM, ID – Environmental organizations across Idaho are looking for volunteers to help clean up the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) after another busy summer season. In partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, the Idaho Conservation League, Sawtooth Society, Idaho Trails Association, Sawtooth Interpretive and Historical Association, the Environmental Resource Center, Idaho Rivers United, and Wood River Trails Coalition are coming together to facilitate a two-week-long cleanup effort.
Volunteers sign up to clean up zones of the front and/or backcountry within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area on a date (or dates) of their choosing between September 13, 2024, and September 30, 2024. A self-guided event, this volunteer opportunity allows the volunteers themselves to decide when and where they’d like to contribute. Suggested cleanup zones are provided, but volunteers are welcome to suggest and attend to a zone that is not listed.
In its fifth year, this annual event has led to the removal of 234 industrial-sized bags of garbage from the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Volunteers also break up illegal fire rings, take unofficial structures apart, pull weeds, and clean human waste issues.
“It started with a plea for help during the pandemic,” said Susan James, Recreation Program Manager with the SNRA. “A few partners jumped in and organized a cleanup. The group has since rallied a community of local partners and volunteers, turning the cleanup into an annual event. I am so grateful to all the partnerships and volunteers who make this event happen. This is a fun, hands-on opportunity to help protect the core values of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. I hope you can join us!”
Congress established the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in 1972, to preserve and protect the Area’s “natural, scenic, historic, pastoral, and fish and wildlife values and to provide for the enhancement of the recreation values associated therewith.”
To participate in this year’s cleanup, CLICK HERE! From there, you can choose a project area and date before receiving instructions on picking up supplies. Due to current fire activity, this event’s dates and locations are subject to change. Health and safety of volunteers are a top priority, so stay tuned for updates on fire behavior, accessibility of areas in the SNRA, and potential health impacts. Thank you for giving back to this iconic area of Idaho!
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