Volunteers clean up Clark Fork

Last weekend, eight volunteers joined Easter Sanders County Conservation District (ESSCD) for their river clean-up in Plains, a once annual event that has not been held for a number of years. “The last time an event like this was held was approximately 10 to 15 years ago after complaints came in about multiple tires in the river,” said ESCCD administrator Emily Baker. “We are always looking for ways to get involved in the communities who fund and support us. This idea has been floating around for the last few years.”

Of the eight volunteers who showed up Saturday morning at the Sanders County Fairgrounds to help clean up, three of them brought their own kayaks and a raft to haul tires out of the river. In a little under five hours, Dillon Martini, Alana Johnson, Amy Elkins, Juli Thurston, Donna Maughlin, Dottie Palmer andDon Feist, alongside Baker, collected 30 tires from a 50-yard stretch and filled 10 bags full of garbage, as well as a number of larger items that went directly into the dumpster.

Baker calls this year’s river clean-up a success. “With the number of volunteers and resources we had, we are very happy with our work this year,” she said. “There were plenty of more tires and large debris we had to leave due to lack of resources. We needed a boat or a side by side, but we will be back for them next year.”

One of ESCCD’s missions is to keep the beds and banks of the rivers as natural as possible. “We are here to help keep Montana the way we all like it and hopefully by this event and all events we hold, we can inspire the public to help us with this mission,” Baker said.

Republic Services donated a dumpster and their time to empty and take away garbage after the event. “We are very thankful for them,” Baker said. “The Forest Service in Plains donated bags and gloves and we would like to give a big thanks to the landowners in the area for letting us have access to their property to collect trash.”

Because of the success, ESCCD now plans to continue their efforts and do a water clean-up event annually. “We are super pleased with how our first year went,” Baker said. “We have a lot of ideas to make it bigger and better for years to come.”