Small group makes big impact at annual cleanup
CAROLINE LOBSINGER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months AGO
I grew up in the Tri-Cities, Wash., and have always loved to write. I attended the University of Washington, where I earned a double major in journalism and political science, with an area of emphasis in history. I am the fifth out of six kids — don't believe any of the stories that my siblings tell. To be able to tell others stories and take photos for a living is a dream come true — and I considered myself blessed to be a community journalist. When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, hiking and spending time outdoors, genealogy, reading, and watching the UW Huskies and the Seattle Seahawks. I am a servant to my cat, Frankie, who yes, will eat anything and everything in sight … even wedding cookies. | April 20, 2025 1:00 AM
SANDPOINT — About a half dozen volunteers braved the cold, drizzly weather Saturday morning as part of an effort to clean the community's shoreline.
"It's wonderful to see our community turn out and come together to keep our shorelines and our waterways clean," Jennifer Ekstrom, North Idaho director for the Idaho Conservation League, said.
Since joining ICL in 2022, Ekstrom said the community support for the region's waterways and shorelines is evident.
"It's great to see people putting their effort and their energy (to this event), to see them putting their words into action," she added.
The conservation league took over the annual cleanup from Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper to ensure its continuation. After discussions with Waterkeeper supporters and officials, ICL recognized the event's value and has worked to maintain it.
"We assumed the advocacy in the water quality work that Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeepers had done previously," Ekstrom said. "We saw what a wonderful event it was and we knew we had to keep it going."
Based at City Beach, the cleanup focuses attention on the area and nearby shorelines, including up to the Pend Oreille Bay Trail and Dog Beach. One of the most popular beaches in the region, the central location makes it a great spot for the cleanup and helps give them an idea of what the conservation league is all about and about how individuals can take part in protecting the region's natural resources.
Idaho Conservation League officials welcomed the group, offering tips and supplies to pick up litter and trash. They emphasized the importance of removing even small bits of plastic before they break down into microplastics and enter the food chain.
As they headed out, participants marked their chosen cleanup areas with push pins on a map to ensure volunteers were spread throughout the city's shoreline.
Some volunteers carefully navigated the shore along Lake Pend Oreille on both sides of the pier where the Statue of Liberty stands. Others headed toward Sand Creek to clean items along that shoreline, while some focused on the trail to Dog Beach.
A city employee who participated said the annual cleanup provides valuable assistance to the city.
"This helps the city a lot," the worker said. "We try our best to keep it clean but there are only so many of us. So seeing all of you guys here to help out, it really means a lot."
In past iterations of the cleanup, volunteers have found everything from horseshoes, a barrel and assorted car parts. Chunks of an old carpet, drill batteries and assorted plastic bits and cans also have been pulled from the muds along the shoreline of Lake Pend Oreille and Sand Creek during the annual shoreline cleanup.
Beyond events like the shoreline cleanup, Ekstrom said there is a lot area residents can do to protect the environment, whether it's a day out of the lake or a hike in the woods or a run along the shoreline. If boating, be mindful of cups, containers and bags which can easily blow out of the boat.
"A lot of the trash we find (during the cleanup) has washed up during the winter and that's because it's flown out of the boat," Ekstrom said. "It's nobody's fault because the items can be really hard to manage. You go to take off and you don't realize that all of your cups aren't weighted down."
If you aren't paying attention, those items can fly off the boat and end up in the lake and area waterways. From there they get broken down into microplastics and litters, cluttering the area's shore and potentially making their way into the food supply.
Ekstrom advised recreationists to follow the adage "pack it in, pack it out." She encouraged people to pick up any litter they see and properly dispose of cigarette butts, which she noted are among the biggest sources of litter found during the annual cleanup.
Litter tossed onto the ground — even items not visibly connected to a waterway — can end up there if items are small enough to fit through the community's storm drains, Ekstrom said.
"It's important for people to understand that with the storm drains throughout our town, the water goes directly into the lake or into Sand Creek and then the lake," she added. "So if there's trash on the street, if it fits through this storm drain, it's going to end up in the water also."
For Larissa Berry, who came the event with friends Laura and Brad Davis and Linda Howlett said the quartet wanted to helping keep the area special. Berry said the friends frequently walk on the trails at Farragut State Park in Athol and, when they heard about the event knew they wanted to take part.
"It's important to do things like this," she added.
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