Snake River Cleanup Planned

A trash cleanup along a popular stretch of the Snake River begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 14. Volunteers are needed for this effort sponsored by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Food and refreshments will be provided, so volunteers should contact Fish and Game utility craftsman Dennis Hardy at the Fish and Game Nampa office, 465-8465. Volunteers should wear boots and gloves and plan to meet at 9:30 a.m. at Fish and Game's Map Rock site 6.5 miles west of the intersection of Map Rock Road and State Highway 45. The project should be completed by early afternoon, and lunch will be served. The river stretch to be cleaned up runs from the Walter's Ferry bridge downstream to the Marsing bridge. Trash will be hauled to a central location for transport to a landfill. Because of a waterfowl nesting closure, federally-owned islands on the Snake River will not be part of the trash collection effort this year. Past efforts to clean up this same stretch of river have netted more than six tons of trash, including all types of furniture, appliances and even a safe, stolen from an area business. Area landowners are encouraged to note the cleanup date. "We wanted to inform land owners in advance of the activities planned for that day," Hardy noted. "So when they see a flurry of activity along the river, they will know what's going on." For more information, contact Hardy at Fish and Game's Southwest region office, 465-8465.