Star Valley’s second annual Fall Salt River Clean Up is scheduled for Saturday, September 27 in conjunction with National Public Lands Day. The Star Valley community is invited to gather and spend the day removing trash from the river and its banks.
Hosted by Star Valley Raft and Paddle, the event is an effort to harness the power of volunteers in the community to maintain the general cleanliness of the Salt River and prevent trash from moving down the waterway.
Christenson hopes to establish the clean-up event as an annual tradition in the community, where people unite to care for this natural resource.
“I don’t think people go out of their way to throw trash into the river, it just ends up there,” said Noah Christenson, owner of Star Valley Raft and Paddle and organizer of the clean-up event. “It’s always good to try and give back by doing a little fall clean up so that stuff doesn’t get flushed down the river in the spring. Then, when the spring does come and the snow melts off, the river is beautiful, and people are excited to go back out and enjoy this incredible resource that we have in our community.”
Though cleaning materials, trash bags and gloves will be available, participants are encouraged to bring their own. Trash grabbing tools will also be available so that folks can retrieve trash without bending. People can bring their own boats, or they can wade through the river. Those who prefer to stay dry can work along the banks, collecting trash and bottles that are invariably left there.
Christenson invites all volunteers to gather at the Diversion River Access (also called the Fish Fry), which is at the dam west of Strawberry Creek Road (County Road 126). Between 9 and 10 a.m. volunteers will enjoy donuts and hot chocolate while officials organized everyone into teams and make cleaning assignments according to people’s interests and needs. Teams will then move to their designated area along the river between Afton and Alpine for cleaning until 3:45. After cleaning, teams are asked to return to the Diversion access with the trash they have collected so that it can be hauled to the transfer station. “It’s always fun to have a weight so we know what we gathered,” said Christenson.
To celebrate everyone’s efforts, Christenson and his crew will then offer raffle prizes that include a free paddle sports lesson, river trip or Youth Paddle Camp from SVRP.
Interested parties are encouraged to visit the website, starvalleyraftandpaddle.com, to RSVP and learn more about the event. Details can be found under the community tab.
“It’s so incredible that the Salt is a connecting part of the Star Valley community,” said Christenson. “People from Alpine all the way to Afton are out on the river all summer. It makes me so happy to see this river that is literally the center of our valley being loved and bringing people together and connecting. It’s a wonderful resource that we have access to. We are giving back to our river and caring for our river and that benefits the entire water system.”
For additional information, feel free to contact Christenson directly at 307.226.4540 or by emailing info@starvalleyraftandpaddle.
