Cleanup of Pocatello ‘natural treasure’ to take place this weekend
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POCATELLO – An event that benefits a “natural treasure” of the Gate City will take place this weekend.
An annually-held event where citizens of Pocatello and Chubbuck clean trash and debris from the banks of the Portneuf River is scheduled for Saturday morning. The long-running event, the Annual Portneuf River Cleanup, has made visible progress towards improving the health of the river over time, said Marjanna Hulet, who’s been participating in the event for around 10 years.
“Every year we’re seeing less and less, and are able to really feel like we’re scouring (for) stuff … and really cleaning things out,” Hulet said.
Hulet said that when she first participated in the cleanup effort, it was only her and around 10 other people participating. They waded into the river with two canoes, not sure how much trash and debris they would find.
The volunteers filled up both canoes with old bikes, tires, shopping carts and more. By the time they had done that, they had only gotten around a third of the way down the concrete channel.
“We still had to float it out the bottom. There’s no other way to get out of there, and so we we had to walk past everything else, and that kind of opened my eyes to how much really needed to be done,” Hulet said.
And due to all this debris in the river, it’s gone underused over the years as a resource by the community, said Jennifer Flynn, assistant planner in the Planning and Zoning Department.
“The river is underutilized for recreation purposes, and just economic development in general. And by getting people out (volunteering at) different river locations, we’re raising awareness … that the river is floatable, as well as just how beautiful it can be in some of those back areas that people never get to see unless they jump in a boat and float down the river,” Flynn said.
People who want to volunteer and help clean up the river should arrive with work gloves and wear clothes they don’t mind getting dirty. Volunteers can also bring hand saws, nets, as well as boots, waiters or water shoes. Extra gloves will be available for volunteers.
According to a news release, people with boats who would like to assist are encouraged to contact Brenna Olson, education and outreach coordinator, in advance at (208) 234-6519.
Volunteers can meet up at the Pacific recycling trailhead, which is on North Main Street near Kraft Road, and the event will go from 10 a.m. to noon. But Flynn said experienced volunteers can also just go to their favorite part of the river and get to work.
“(They can) go to (their) favorite part of the river and bring a trash bag and some gloves and pick up any trash that (they) see and get it back to a dumpster,” Flynn said.
The total cleanup area will start at Raymond Park, and go to the Simplot plant, the release says.
Flynn estimates that around 100 people participate annually. She said that over the years, thanks to their efforts, access to the river and recreation opportunities have improved “immensely.”
“Overall, access to the river has improved immensely. I think we’ve added at least five different (access points),” Flynn said.
Hulet echoed this point, saying that over the years, they’ve gotten farther down the river before filling up their canoes. This has allowed volunteers to really scour the banks and remove debris that’s been in the river for a long time.
“The last, I would say four years, we’ve made it clear through the channel, and the boats have not been as heaped high as they were originally. There’s always new stuff, … but it’s not the way it used to be,” Hulet said.
Because of this impact, the city encourages anyone who can to participate in the Annual Portneuf River Cleanup.
“Every year, we see more people enjoying the river. Events like this show how much our community cares about protecting and enhancing this natural treasure,” Olson says in the news release.