The river cleanup event has collected over a ton of trash in each of the past three years
By Jen Clancey STAFF WRITER
Over the weekend, volunteers in neon vests unearthed cans, bottles and other trash from the grasses next to U.S. Highway 191 and the Gallatin River. Starting on Friday, Aug. 21, the Gallatin River Task Force hosted eight teams of volunteers for its annual Gallatin River Cleanup. For the cleanup’s eighth year, the two host organizations, GRTF and Gallatin Watershed Council, are holding separate events with do-it-yourself options in between.
Jess Olson, conservation manager with GRTF said that this past weekend’s event can help residents appreciate the places that make Big Sky a destination for recreation.
“It’s so tangible. You are out there, you are on the river … every piece of trash that you pick up makes a difference. And I think that it really helps people connect with the river as both a steward of the Gallatin, and just as a natural resource that we love,” Olson said.
Volunteering with the Big Sky Rotary Club, Big Sky resident Kelsey Rossier has helped out with the river cleanup for at least five years.
“We love doing it whenever we can as [the Rotary Club] and just as a participant … to just do whatever we can to keep this place looking beautiful and cleaned up,” Rossier said. A crew of about nine in rotary-branded vests collected buckets, reach-extenders and applied sunscreen while Rossier spoke.
“Big Sky is really one of the areas I’ve felt that you feel that community around you all the time,” Rossier said. “And you can volunteer for anything and just be part of it at whatever scale you want.”
Rossier departed with her team to the area of U.S. 191 around the Big Sky School District.
Olson explained that in each of the past three years, the Gallatin River Cleanup collected over a ton of litter and other items over the weekend-long event. This year may be lighter because the cleanup was a couple weeks earlier than usual, but still, Olson was hopeful that volunteers could pick up around 1,800 pounds, filling the blue dumpster in the Big Sky Community Park lot.
In past years, the cleanup event coincided with a second one put on by the nonprofit Gallatin Watershed Council. This year, that event takes place along the lower watershed of the river on Sept. 19. For those unable to attend either, but still want to lend a hand, Olson recommends stopping by the GRTF or GWC offices in Big Sky and Bozeman, to do some DIY cleaning between the two events. There are other ways to contribute individually, too, like picking up trash anytime when outdoors; Olson noted that she carries a small trash bag during her outdoor adventures.
“Even just a couple pieces is making a difference,” Olson said. “Some animal somewhere is going to thank you, so every little bit counts.”
She thanked volunteers for helping the GRTF collect tons of trash over the years. A total weight of the trash will be shared with GRTF around mid-week.
