From Goo-Filled Barrels to a Massive Culvert: Volunteers Pull Out Record Trash From Yellowstone River
Yellowstone National Park, being a celebrated travel destination, often turns into a dumping ground. The river located inside the park usually bears the weight of the heavy pollution, collecting tons of trash inside it. If it weren't for the efforts and clean-up initiatives by the Rocky Mountain College students, faculty, and staff, the condition of the Yellowstone River would have deteriorated. Their recent scavenging for trash led to a record-breaking number, the largest amount of trash collected from that area ever.
The 19th annual Yellowstone River Cleanup collected a whopping 87,637 pounds of trash from 135 miles of the river, thanks to the massive team of more than 175 volunteers. The cleanup crew covered regular problem areas on the river and scoured new sites, as per the report released by the Yellowstone River Research Center. The trash objects removed were varied in sizes, ranging from as large as car parts and tires to something as small as microplastics and agricultural debris.
The Yellowstone River Parks Association shared a celebratory Facebook post, detailing their "biggest haul yet." It highlighted the total amount of trash the community removed over the period of 19 years, since the time they first started: 403,541 pounds. However, this year's dump had some of the worst items. Merely 10 miles above the drinking water intake, the cleanup team found a partially buried barrel filled with petroleum product. The oil was oozing out and made it to the water, but thank god for the cold weather, the team was able to extract the barrel and the remaining goo that spilled out.
The team also secured a 25’ x 6’ culvert, the largest item secured in a cleanup. The culvert had washed up on an island, posing a threat and hazard to the nearby environment. The riverbank also had a massive tire dump where over 350 tires were disposed of in bulk. 12 different plastic items were found, highlighting the irresponsible plastic pollution that the visitors of the park contribute to. Styrofoam, considered one of the worst plastics for the environment, was also found among the trash.
The Facebook caption read, "2,268 volunteer hours of effort— rain, shine, and everything in between. From barrels of goo to the largest item ever (a 6 x 25-foot culvert!), your hard work keeps the Yellowstone River healthy and beautiful." The recent clean-up was done in partnership with Sibanye Stillwater and Phillips 66. "We also received critical financial support from Wild Montana, Undammed Distilling Co, Billings Bench Water," they wrote. The community of the Rock Mountain College has been doing an annual river clean-up since 2007. Hence, this year's record-breaking collection was a major win for the team and the Yellowstone National Park.
"We strive to create a culture of service in our Environmental programs as we prepare the next generation of conservation stewards," the report read. Every year, the team narrows down to certain areas for cleaning. This year, they trailed to Canyon Creek, at Zoo Montana, and removed 2,000 lbs of tires. A train wreck led to deposition of asphalt and aluminum in large quantities, but 55% of the 419,442 pounds of asphalt was successfully removed in the clean-up drive. If the success rate of these annual clean-ups keeps soaring, the Yellowstone River might become cleaner than it has ever been in the last decade.
More on Green Matters
Yellowstone’s Thermal Areas Cleared of 13,000 Trash Items, Some Were Left Behind on Purpose
Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Plastic, From Food Packaging to Makeup
Subway Customer Stunned After Noticing Both ‘Recycling’ and ‘Trash’ Slots End Up in the Same Bin