Conservation Center Partners with Forest Service to Clean Up Wilderness
Up to 15 people and four pack animals are required for this all-day endeavor, which will depart from Horse Ranch Park on Kebler Pass Road. Approximately seven miles of this looping route, popular with equestrians and hunters, will be cleared of beer cans, fuel bottles, and discarded refuse. Expert horsemen and horsewomen are needed to carry out bulky items such as camp stoves, as well as the bags of collected garbage.
Last year local residents wrote to the newspapers, expressing indignation at the trashed state of public lands, and challenged the community to care for these collective goods. The Conservation Center took up this call, joining with the Forest Service to identify problem areas and develop appropriate responses. This joint effort demonstrates one cooperative solution to the chronic problem of illegal trash dumping.
Ensuring that our public lands do not become dumping grounds is intrinsic to the Conservation Center’s mission and activities, including volunteer “Green Teams” that put waste in the right place at the 2013 Cherry Days Festival and Colorado Bike Tour visit to Paonia. Earlier this year the Conservation Center partnered with six businesses to sponsor an e-cycling drive that diverted over 20 tons of hazardous electronics previously destined for the landfill.
This event is free to the public. Due to wilderness quota constraints, group size is limited and registration is requested by September 6th. For more information, contact Brian at the Conservation Center at (970) 527-5307 x206 or email brian@
ABOUT THE CONSERVATION CENTER
The Western Slope Conservation Center (WSCC) is a grassroots organization located in western Colorado. Our organization began in 1977 when neighbors joined to stop coal mines from dumping waste next to the river. Over the years, we have worked to protect water resources, public lands, and human health. We focus on issues concerning Delta County and the North Fork Valley. You can read more about our history and programs at www.theconservationcenter.
Tags: Raggeds Wilderness, WSCC