In the summer of 2022, and again in the fall of 2023, Idaho Conservation League members, volunteers, and staff ventured to Vineyard Lake to pick up trash and learn about the state of the Snake River. This November, staff, members, and volunteers returned to this spectacular pocket of the Snake River Canyon to continue where we’d left off last year.
Vineyard Lake is nestled within the dark black walls of a 2-million-year-old basalt and is a true hidden treasure of the Snake River Canyon. It was carved out by the great Bonneville Flood nearly 14,500 years ago, when an enormous Ice Age lake in the area of the present-day Great Salt Lake in Utah released a massive flow of water into the Snake River watershed, flowing the same course as the Snake follows today. Flood waters east of Twin Falls were rerouted north of the Snake River Canyon, leaving a trail of scoured basalt behind. This stretch of basalt is still dotted with remnants of flood waters, housing natural beauties like Vineyard Lake, Devils Corral, Shoshone Falls, and Twin Falls.
Despite being somewhat isolated, Vineyard Lake still sees high numbers of visitors, especially in warmer months—and the land is feeling the impact. Unfortunately, trash speckles the landscape.
To help take care of this special place, ICL hosted the first Vineyard Lake Cleanup in June of 2022, clearing around 150 pounds of trash. Amazed by the impact we were able to produce in only a few short hours, ICL decided to return a little over a year later to replicate the effort.
Last Saturday, ICL staff and over 20 enthusiastic volunteers—more than triple the number we had in 2023—set off with protective gloves and garbage bags, excited to make a meaningful difference at Vineyard Lake. We met on a dirt road in Eden, Idaho, before briefly treking through private farmland—on which passage to the lake is graciously permitted—before beginning our descent into the canyon.
The morning’s brisk wind died as we picked up shelter between basalt boulders. Joined by volunteers who are also members of Prairie Falcon Audubon, we looked out for birdlife. Last year we’d seen canyon wrens, some red-tailed hawks, and chattering kingfishers—all of which stole our attention and reminded us of the ecological importance of these canyon hideaways.
Unlike our summer-time visit, which required delicate maneuvering through dense vegetation, we found that November at Vineyard Lake meant bare, twiggy bushes. The fallen leaves provided a clear view of the garbage hidden amid the shrubbery, and we were shocked at just how much we saw.
Determined staff and volunteers dug into the brush, braving the dense undergrowth to collect bottles, wrappers, and cans. With so many volunteers hard at work, we made fast progress, scouring the rock and bush. We accumulated the houndstongue burrs to show for it.
In the end, ICL staff and volunteers packed out a little over six heavy-duty garbage bags from the area. On our lunch break, Central Idaho Director Josh Johnson spoke about the current issues facing the Snake River, from phosphorus and nitrogen pollution, to toxic algae, to the recent re-discovery of quagga mussels in the Snake River and the subsequent molluscicide treatment.
A year (and one week) after our last year’s trip to Vineyard Lake, there was still enough trash to keep multiple volunteers busy for hours. Similarly, this discussion of challenges facing the Snake River reminded us of the importance of persistence in ICL’s work to restore the Snake River; it is only by continually showing up to do the work that we can make a change.
After our lunchtime chat, we madeway back to the top of the canyon to sort the garbage we’d collected for recycling. We paused at the canyon rim to admire the Snake River below, watching for eagles and hawks, before continuing to our cars.
After seeing the work that needed to be done at a small, remote lake, it’s difficult to fathom the negative impacts humans can have on larger, more public areas. It reminded us of the importance of continuing to serve as a voice for restoration of the Snake River and working to connect people and communities to this incredible waterway.