SPOKANE, Wash. -- A local forest watch group hosted their 16th annual Spokane River Clean-Up, where hundreds of volunteers worked to clear the public lands along the Spokane River Saturday.
The Lands Council - a group dedicated to protecting and restoring forest ecosystems, rivers and lakes in eastern Washington and north Idaho – and hundreds of volunteers will pick up trash and recyclables along the river in Spokane Valley, the University District, the Downtown River Gorge area and Riverside State Park at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Last year’s river clean-up brought out 855 volunteers. They cleared over three tons of trash and 450 lbs. of recyclables from Nine Mile Falls to Spokane Valley.
“This is a great opportunity to come out and get involved with the community,” Spokane Riverkeeper Jerry White Jr. said. “Hands-on constructive things that make a difference, so we’re out here supporting this effort.”
The Land Council was one of the first forest watch groups in the country. They started and led the National Forest Protection Alliance, which advocated for an end to commercial logging.
They also played a role in persuading the Environmental Protection Agency to designate much of the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River as a Superfund site, allowing the EPA to use funds for the clean-up of a contaminated area and hold the responsible party accountable.