One hopes that this was an accident, but nonetheless the responsible party should have made an attempt to clean it up.

Hundreds of gallons of liquified livestock excrement were dumped onto the westbound I-90 Tarkio Exit 61 off-ramp just before the cattle guard sometime last Thursday afternoon.

The exit is same off-ramp Knife River trucks are constantly using as they are haul gravel to Missoula, not to mention the residents who live in the area and use this exit.

Apparently, the Montana Highway Patrol never responded to an email asking who is responsible for clean-up and the Montana DOT wasn’t sure either, but the question would be passed up the chain of command.

By Monday, most of the goop was off of the roadway but was still 2-3 inches deep on the shoulder with the undercarriages and quarter-panels of vehicles of trucks and cars splattered and ripe with an odor described as "unpleasant" from those who are not in the cattle industry and used to it.

As is the case that rural people continue to witness, when unexpected circumstances arrive, look to your neighbors for help. A phone call to the newly formed Tarkio Fire Department that is operating out of a local landowner’s barn until their station is built this spring, netted positive results.

Josh Pecora is the Deputy Chief of the Superior Volunteer Fire Department and Fire Chief of the Tarkio Fire Station. He made a phone call to Scott Dodd who is the new chief of the SVFD replacing Steve Temple who recently retired, and the two met at the scene of the incident at 6:15 p.m.

Dodd is co-owner and operator of Mineral Energy and Pecora works in Missoula to support his family, and since this wasn’t an actual emergency, both could complete their workday and then meet and strategize on “Operation Poop Abstraction” with water trucks. Dodd has been a member of the SVFD for five years and said that he grew up in the fire-fighting business.

“My grandpa was a fire chief and it just trickles down from there. It’s a part of my DNA,” he chuckled.

Asked how the overall department is doing with the change of command, Dodd is pleased.

“Changing out our PPE, our firefighting gear, is at the top of the list right now as NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) says it needs to be changed out every 10 years.”

He said that he and Temple built a cycle so they buy a couple of sets every year rather than take a big hit of around $200,000 at one time. Also, volunteer firefighters are always a need as he has 19 on the roster and about 11 are active.

Pecora was closely watched by his 2-year-old son, Mason, as the goo was flushed into the snow just as a person would wash their driveway.

“I’m willing to bet that this will be the greenest part of the offramp later this spring,” he laughed.

Earlier in the day, a different group of volunteers from the SVFD gently herded elk out of the Mineral County Airport that had gained access through a hole in the perimeter fence. The entrance wound was patched until a fencing company could properly repair it 2 days later.

Rescuing cats from trees must be boring to these first responders.