Volunteers Sought for Boise RiverSweep

The Boise RiverSweep, scheduled for Saturday, September 14 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm is still in need of volunteer help. The large-scale effort - more than 50 river miles are slated for cleanup - will require dozens of volunteers. For more information regarding the cleanup effort, contact Dennis Hardy at 465-8465. Participating organizations include the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Ducks Unlimited, Idaho Rivers United, Boise City, Boy Scouts of America, Partners for Clean Water and radio station The River 94.9. Trash bags and other materials have been donated by the Fly Fishers of Idaho, BFI has donated employee time and equipment to haul garbage to the landfill, while Canyon and Ada County will pay the landfill tab. Volunteers will need to bring work gloves and a great attitude. "The effort is more than simply cleaning up the river although that's obviously important," Fish and Game utility craftsman Dennis Hardy said. "It's also about demonstrating that there are those who care about this river and want to make it a better place to hunt, fish, boat and otherwise recreate." River cleanup from the Glenwood Bridge downstream to the Snake River near Parma will be the responsibility of Fish and Game and Ducks Unlimited. "It's a long stretch of river and we'll need all the help we can get to adequately clean it," Hardy noted. For the convenience of volunteers, three rendezvous points have been established along this stretch of river: the Eagle Hatchery at Eagle Island off of Linder Road, the Star Road bridge, and the Martin Access point at Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area. "Team leaders will be at these three sites throughout the cleanup effort to register volunteers and help them get started," Hardy said. "So whether you check in at 9:00 or noon, we'll be able to plug you in somewhere." Maps and directions to each rendezvous site can be found on the web at this address: http://www.cityofboise.org.