Volunteers sought for Flathead Waters Cleanup

The annual Flathead Waters Cleanup, slated for 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, brings volunteers together to scour the waters and shoreline areas for trash in the Flathead Basin, including Flathead and Lake counties.

Volunteers can sign up in teams, small groups or families to clean up trash in any river, lake, creek or pond in the region. When they register, volunteers can select their favorite area to clean up through an interactive mapping feature on the event website.

A celebratory party and prize giveaway follows the cleanup at two locations: the Flathead Lakers' office in Polson or Sacred Waters Brewing in Kalispell. Join the festivities for food, drinks and chances to win prizes donated by event sponsors. A variety of prizes will be offered to volunteers, including those who collect the most trash, find the most unique item or submit the best photo.

To be eligible for prizes, all volunteers must register prior to the event by visiting tinyurl.com/flatheadcleanup.

The event is organized by a partnership between the Flathead and Lake County Conservation Districts, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Natural Resources Department, Flathead Rivers Alliance, Flathead Lakers, and the Western Montana Conservation Commission. Other partners include Sacred Waters, which hosts the after-event festivities, Evergreen Disposal, which donates a dumpster for trash collection, and both Flathead County and Lake County Solid Waste/Landfills, which donate all dump fees for trash collected.

For more information about the cleanup efforts in Polson and surrounding areas contact Maggie Winter-Sydnor at  [email protected] or 406-883-1346 or, in Flathead County, Jessie Walthers at Flathead Conservation District, [email protected] or 406-752-4220.

Volunteers interested in cleaning up trash in the three forks sections of the Flathead River should also coordinate through Flathead Rivers Alliance, [email protected].