Volunteers needed for Flathead Waters Cleanup
A view of Flathead Lake from Volunteer Park in Lakeside on Sunday, June 25, 2023. (Matt Baldwin/Daily Inter Lake)
Registration is open for the Flathead Waters Cleanup, held Saturday, Aug. 12 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Volunteers for the annual event will clean up trash in and around the rivers, lakes, creeks and ponds of the Flathead watershed in Flathead and Lake counties.
The cleanup ends with concurrent afterparties and prize giveaways from 4-8 p.m. at Glacier Brewing in Polson and Sacred Waters Brewing in Kalispell.
“Volunteering for the Flathead Waters Cleanup is just one way we can be good stewards of our Montana waterways,” said Emilie Henry, program coordinator of the newly established Western Montana Conservation Commission and cleanup organizer.
Individuals or teams of volunteers can sign up to clean up any river, lake, creek or pond in the watershed by collecting trash and returning it to designated drop off areas. Volunteers select their favorite area to clean up through an interactive mapping feature on the event website and can enter to win various prizes from the event sponsors. Prizes include rafting trips, kayak rentals, camping gear, flyfishing gear, and other swag that will be awarded to the volunteers who collect the most trash, find the most unique item, or submit the best photo.
At last year's event, volunteers collected 5,100 pounds of trash from Flathead waterways and event organizers hope to top that number this year.
“Trash and other debris in any waterway are harmful to aquatic ecosystems and can keep us from enjoying our favorite places,” Henry said. “We need everyone to do their part to protect the water resources of western Montana and beyond year-around, not just during the cleanup.”
The cleanup is co-hosted by Western Montana Conservation Commission, Flathead Conservation District, Flathead Rivers Alliance, Flathead Lakers, Lake County Conservation District, and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
Volunteers are asked to register prior to the event on the event website https://tinyurl.com/flatheadcleanup or by contacting Henry at 406-461-6831 or emilie.henry@mt.gov.