River cleanup set on the North Fork |
August 9, 2017 |
The North Fork Coeur d’Alene River Watershed
Advisory Group and the Idaho Panhandle National
Forests invite you to participate in the fourth
public cleanup day on the North Fork Coeur
d’Alene River. Join in on Saturday, August 19,
and show your appreciation for this precious
public resource.
Snacks and drinks will be provided and
participants will have the chance to win a
float-fishing trip guided by a member of the
North Idaho Flycaster’s Club.
The cleanup is part of the Respect the River
program, which is a network of citizens and
organizations dedicated to caring for the North
Fork Coeur d’Alene River. A key part of Respect
the River is an educational program to share
information about the river and engage river
users.
Respect the River also sponsors projects to
provide a safe and enjoyable range of
recreational experiences for river users while
ensuring protection of natural resources,
private property rights, and economic
development.
“Stewardship of the river has improved as a
result of our public outreach and education
program. Floaters, campers, and boaters are more
aware of the harmful impacts of garbage in and
around the river and are taking more ownership
in caring for the resource,” said Daniel Scaife,
Coeur d’Alene River District Ranger.
Past river cleanup days have been fun and
productive and yielded thousands of pounds of
garbage from in and alongside the river. While
there have been improvements in awareness and
care of the river, there are still too many
people littering.
“There’s still too much garbage along the river,
too much glass, and too many aluminum cans on
the river bottom and along the banks,” said
Kajsa Van de Riet of the Idaho Department of
Environmental Quality. “We need a great showing
of volunteers to help clean up the river and
demonstrate our concern for this beautiful
public resource.”
The river cleanup event will take place from 9
a.m. to noon Saturday, August 19. Check-in for
volunteers will take place at the Graham Creek
Forest Service dispersed camping area, 14.5
miles up the River Road (Highway 9) north of
Kingston.
Garbage bags will be provided, but volunteers
are encouraged to bring their own gloves and to
dress for the conditions.
For more information, contact the Coeur d’Alene
River Ranger District at (208) 769-3000 or visit
Respect the River on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/respecttherivernfcda. |
Questions or comments about this
article?
Click here to e-mail! |
|
|
|