Idaho cleaning up for National Public Lands Day
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IDAHO FALLS — The Bureau of Land Management is hosting several land restorations Saturday in connection with National Public Lands Day.
There will be three events in eastern Idaho, in Pocatello, St. Anthony and Menan.
The Pocatello event will be planting willow, seeding grass and building fences at Blackrock Canyon, which is six miles southeast of Pocatello. The event will begin at 10 a.m. at the Pocatello Bureau of Land Management Office at 4350 Cliffs Drive, and participants will drive to the canyon from the office.
Bureau spokesman Chuck Patterson said the Pocatello project is to prevent erosion by the creekside by planting trees and grass. On National Public Lands Day, the Bureau typically picks projects that are close to urban areas, but that will also help educate residents about caring for public lands.
Volunteers should contact the Bureau of Land Management at (208) 478-6340 if they want to participate in the Pocatello event to ensure equipment availability.
Bureau officials recommend dressing to get dirty. Participants will receive a free t-shirt and lunch, and the Bureau will provide tools and gloves.
Volunteers are also wanted at the St. Anthony Sand Dunes at 9 a.m., focusing on trash cleanup, according to the Bureau’s website. This will not include a lunch, and volunteers are encouraged to bring their own gloves and water. Bureau spokeswoman Monica Zimmerman said the project will start off the Red Road at Cinder Pit. Call Ben Cisna at 208-524-7557 for more information.
In Menan, Bureau staff and volunteers will work on clean-up and trail maintenance for the North Menan Trail Head at 9 a.m. Lunch is not provided, and volunteers and staff will meet at the trail head. Call Danielle Winterholler at 208-524-7525 for more information.
According to the Bureau of Land Management’s website, National Public Lands Day has been going on since 1979. It is America’s largest single-day volunteer event for public lands. The bureau will be coordinating efforts all across the United States, but mostly in the western half.