Staff from the BLM’s Cottonwood Field Office and Clearwater Management Council recently joined 14 Cadets (ranging in age from 16 to 18) and Sergeant Richard Turcott from the Idaho Youth Challenge Academy to clean-up five miles of the Clearwater River. The event celebrated National Public Lands Day and the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Volunteers spilt into four boats launched from the Pink House Recreation Site and disembarked at Harpers Bend Recreation Site. During the clean-up, volunteers collected a variety of trash including: aluminum cans, tires, tools such as paintbrushes and scissors, shoes, a chair, fishing lures, car parts and much more. After their hard work, members of the Clearwater Management Council and an Idaho County commissioner treated volunteers to a BBQ at Pink House Recreation Site. The Clearwater Management Council also donated funds to the Idaho Youth Challenge Foundation as a thank you for the outstanding work performed by the Cadets. Employees from the BLM included recreation staff Ryan Turner and Noah Christenson, field manager Richard White, volunteer and retired BLMer LuVerne Grussing and event coordinator Rebecca Urbanczyk. During this event, 20 volunteers contributed over 200 hours of labor and collected over a ton of trash from the Clearwater. BLM hopes to continue working with the Idaho Youth Challenge Academy again soon to keep the Clearwater River clean and clear!
