A local shooting enthusiast is spearheading an effort to clean up the makeshift shooting area in the Hayden Creek drainage this weekend.

Rathdrum resident Jerrica Gallinger said it was a beautiful fall morning when she went out to shoot last week. Then she saw the debris that littered the Hayden Creek shooting area: bullet-riddled detergent bottles, microwaves, DVD players and more.

Gallinger shared photos of the mess on social media, urging visitors to clean up after themselves. She said she was met with comments asking why she hadn’t picked up the trash herself.

“So I put my money where my mouth is,” she said.

Gallinger is organizing a cleanup Saturday. Volunteers should meet at the Hayden Creek shooting site at 9 a.m.

About 50 people have volunteered to help clean the site so far. Gallinger said she hopes even more residents pitch in.

The area is part of the Panhandle National Forest. In years past, officials have said they may close the Hayden Creek access to the forest due to littering and vandalism.

“We need to treat North Idaho land better than that,” she said.