The Bitterroot Water Partnership invites volunteers to clean up the Bitterroot River on Saturday, August 9 in their annual Bitterroot River Clean Up. Volunteers sign up online for a walking site or floating stretch along the Bitterroot from Sula and Painted Rocks to Missoula and clean up on their own timeline. Visit bitterrootwater.org/cleanup to sign up for your section or learn more.
Volunteers and other River-enthusiasts are invited to celebrate Clean Up impacts from 5-7 PM on August 7 at the Rooftop of Ponderosa Wine Bar and Bistro at 111 W Main St, Hamilton, MT. Volunteers will receive their first celebratory beverage free and be entered for multiple raffle prizes, including a $50 gift card for the Bistro.
A group of 2024 Bitterroot River Clean Up volunteers show off what they cleaned from the River. Photo courtesy Bitterroot Water Partnership.
“The Bitterroot River Clean Up is one of those few special events that connects all of our communities across the length of our Valley” says Alex Ocañas, Manager of Community Conservation for the Water Partnership, “just like our River connects us.”
Volunteers can clean up on their own schedule. A trash drop off location will be available to volunteers all day at River Park in Hamilton on Saturday, the 9th. Large trash collected from the River (i.e. fridges, recliners, bathtubs, etc., or full truck loads) must be dropped off at River Park in Hamilton, where a large dumpster will be available. Any trash that is not cleaned from the River will not be permitted in the dumpster. Smaller loads of trash can be dumped here too so their weight can be included in the grand total of litter cleaned. Dumpsters and collection service have been donated by Bitterroot Disposal.
“We can tell these 15+ years of Clean Up effort are working because each year volunteers clean less trash from the river”, said Ocañas. “The river still needs a good deep clean every year, and the best way to do that is together. How can you say no to a great day on the River, leaving it a little better than you found it?”
In 2024, 150 volunteers cleaned around 750 pounds of trash from the River during Clean Up. Each year, one volunteer will be recognized with a prize for the “Best Trash” found during the Clean Up. Past winners found a bathtub, a recliner, a wagon wheel, and a safe. You can sign up to volunteer by visiting the Water Partnership webpage at bitterrootwater.org/cleanup, calling the office at 406-375-2272, or stopping in at 162 S 2nd St in Hamilton. All participants are encouraged to visit the Clean Up webpage to read event guidelines.
The Bitterroot Water Partnership would like to thank the event sponsors: Bitterroot Conservation District, Bitterroot Disposal, Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association, Walmart SparkGood, and Bitterroot Trout Unlimited for sponsoring River Clean Up.