Chris and Cheryl Zabel are easy to spot along the roads around Bigfork in their neon vests and with their overflowing garbage bags. At least twice a week for the last six or seven years, the couple has dedicated time to cleaning up Bigfork.

“We’ve become known as the trash couple,” Chris laughed. “We figure that in the time we’ve been doing it, we’ve collected over 10,000 pounds of garbage.” 

When the Zabels moved to Bigfork in the fall of 2019, they knew they wanted to do two things: hike and volunteer. Their weekly walks to clean up trash check both boxes, even if they deal with more traffic along the highway than they would in the Jewel Basin. 

“I mean, for us, it's a no-brainer,” Chris said. “We're out and about. It's not hard to pick up trash, and Cheryl has said this numerous times, but once you see it, it's hard not to want to pick up trash, because this is our community as well.” 

“It's so beautiful here," Cheryl continued. "The trash mars the beauty, and we don't want that.” 

Their frequent routes include Montana 35, Montana 209, Holt Drive, Bigfork Stage Road and the Swan River Nature Trail, although the Zabels have also been found on the way to Ferndale and at Wayfarers State Park on Flathead Lake.  

Montana 35 can be especially tricky, the Zabels explained. They’ve taken a few tumbles on the steep banks near the Swan River Bridge trying to retrieve pieces of garbage downhill. Now, they know their limits, and Chris will hold Cheryl’s hand to lower her down the embankment. 

Most of the time, vehicles slow down and give the Zabels plenty of room to do their work, but they said some cars speed by just to spook them. The community as a whole though, has been incredibly supportive. Over the years, strangers have pulled over to offer the couple cash and gift cards, hugs and prayers. 

Strangers and neighbors have also opened their doors to support the Zabels. The couple has developed a specialized knowledge of Bigfork’s geography, including where every trash can is located along their route, in case they need to empty their trash bags along the way.  

“There are many businesses and people along our routes that say, ‘Yes, anytime you're out here, even if we're not home, the garage is unlocked, so go ahead and go in,’” Cheryl said. “I mean, it's just amazing how nice and gracious people are.” 

At the Montana Athletic Club, where Chris worked part time, Doug Mahlum supplied the Zabels with a trash grabber, which Chris said saved his back. The community support and acknowledgment has meant a lot to the Zabels, even if that’s not the reason they do their work.  

“Bigfork, this is our home. If you take a look at your own home, you're going to take care of it. All this is an extension of that,” said Chris.  

The Zabels moved to Bigfork from Rochester, Minnesota, and they immediately fell in love with the small town’s slower pace of life. In Rochester, Cheryl was a teacher, and Chris worked as a church administrator, roles that allowed them to get to know small pockets of their city but not the whole community. 

When they moved to Montana, they knew they would have significant time to invest in their new home. They consider themselves “extreme empty nesters” with four children and five grandchildren scattered across the county, and they semi-retired after leaving Minnesota.  

“Decades and decades and decades ago, Cheryl and I both said, besides our family, obviously, what are our passions in our lives? It was our church, natural resources and education. This is us feeding into one of our passions,” Chris said. 

Aside from their weekly trash pickups, the Zabels take part in the Flathead Audubon Society’s osprey monitoring program. Each week, they observe two osprey nests and look for baling twine and any changes to the nests. In Glacier National Park, they’ve taken part in the Citizen Science programs, helping conduct studies on loons, mountain goats, and bighorn sheep and assisting with invasive species removal projects.  

They volunteer through their church, St. John Paul II Church and are involved with Clean the Fork, the Christmas elves, the Festival of the Arts and fill in as substitute teachers in local schools. They’re also election judges and Cheryl teaches crafts at the senior center. 

“Being from a big town, you didn't get that whole community feeling,” said Cheryl. “In Bigfork, when you go downtown, and you're decorating for Christmas, and everybody else is there, I mean, it's really fun, to make those connections and meet people.” 

The Zabels said that choosing to be involved in the Bigfork community has given them everything. When asked what advice the Zabels would give to others who want to be involved but aren’t sure what to ask, Chris said, “Find your passion, and then ask.” 

Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.