The 2023 Flathead Waters Cleanup event returns Saturday, Aug. 12. Flathead Rivers Alliance seeks volunteers for the three forks of the Flathead Wild and Scenic River. There are lots of ways to participate: hiking along the shoreline or floating sections. Join efforts on the Flathead Wild & Scenic River or one of the many Flathead Basin waterways.

This Flathead Basin-wide event hosted by Flathead Rivers Alliance, Flathead Basin Commission, Flathead Conservation District, Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, Whitefish Lake Institute, Flathead Lakers and Lake County Conservation District brings together agencies, organizations, and community members in an all-day volunteer event to not only cleanup trash, but celebrate the region’s incredible waterways.

Formed in 2019, Flathead Rivers Alliance is a friends group that supports protection and management of the Flathead Wild and Scenic River (North Fork, Middle Fork, and South Fork) and enhancement of the river system’s outstanding and remarkable values that include geology, ethnography, history, wildlife, vegetation, fisheries, water quality and recreation. The river system has the significance of inspiring the idea of a National Wild and Scenic Rivers System and contributing 85% of the water entering Flathead Lake.

This one-day cleanup event is an extension of the cooperative efforts Flathead Rivers Alliance and its agency partners conduct throughout the summer. Glacier National Park and Flathead National Forest run routine River Patrol crews, while the Alliance coordinates a 30+ volunteer River Ambassador and River Recreation – Citizen Science crew that staff pop-up information booths at popular river access points and serve as citizen scientists collecting river user and wildlife data while floating the river. The Alliance and its agency partners are invested in safeguarding the future of the Flathead River system and developing a new generation of river stewards.

The event will take place on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. with a celebration and prize giveaway hosted at Sacred Waters Brewing in Kalispell from 4 – 8 p.m. Prizes from event sponsors include: half-day guided fishing and rafting trips, an evening sailing cruise, outdoor gear and much more. Grab a friend, recruit club members, or rally the family. Help keep our favorite places clean while enjoying a good time. More information can be found at www.flatheadrivers.org/events.

Participate in year-round efforts to keep our waterways clean by swinging by one of the following locations to pick up a free reusable waters cleanup bag: Glacier Raft Co., Sportsman & Ski Haus (Whitefish and Kalispell), Basecamp Bigfork, Lary’s Fly & Supply, Polebridge Mercantile, and Home Bottom Ranch. Additional locations coming soon on the Flathead Reservation and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Headquarters – Kalispell.

Thank you to this year’s sponsors: Sacred Waters Brewing Co, Glacier Brewing, Glacier Raft Co., Glacier Guides & Montana Raft Co, Evergreen Disposal, Wild River Adventures, Great Northern Whitewater Raft & Resort, BaseCamp Bigfork, Cabela’s Rocky Mountain Outfitter, REI, True Water Fly Shop, Lary’s Fly & Supply, NFC, Destination Trout, Good Times Supply Co., Montana Army Navy, U.S. Forest Service, River Network, Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, Whitefish Lake Institute, and Sportsman & Ski Haus.