A “small but mighty” group of more than a dozen volunteers participated in this year’s Salt River Cleanup.

Organizer of the event and owner of Star Valley Raft and Paddle Noah Christenson said the cleanup fell on the first day of elk rifle and waterfowl season and other events. With this, Christenson said that it “made it all the more special to still have community members come out and join us”

Volunteers came from Alpine to Afton and were ages 12 to over 70. Despite the smaller turnout, volunteers removed about 250 pounds of trash, matching the amount collected in previous years.

Sometimes volunteers come across interesting trash. “The most unusual find was definitely a unicycle, and a retro alpine ski circa the early 90s,” shared Christenson.

“While we only found 6 tires, it feels good. That means we are turning the corner on getting them all out of the river.”

With the use of a Refuse Recovery Raft and with several volunteers bringing their own watercraft to aid in the clean up, volunteers reached areas that have not been cleaned in previous clean ups. The Refuse Recovery Raft covered the Auburn-to-Diversion stretch and removed floating trash, including an entire highway road work sign.

A stand-out moment for Christenson included the reactions of the volunteers.

“It turns into a treasure hunt as people comb the willows or carefully scan the bottom, and the enthusiasm they have pulling out stuff that shouldn’t be there just makes me happy. This is the type of river stewardship people can feel the impact of while they do it, whether it’s kids picking up bottles at the boat ramps or experienced boaters ripping tires off the bottom, the joy is the same.”

Many volunteers have participated in previous cleanups, while others joined for the first time this year and responded positively to the event’s format and goal. Looking to future cleanups, Christenson hopes to get more outfitters and guides involved in cleaning up the river, along with youth and philanthropic organizations.

“We are hoping to get more outfitters and guides involved to get people cleaning up on the water, along with other youth or philanthropic organizations.”