Community to clean entire Gallatin Watershed

By Fischer Genau DIGITAL MEDIA LEAD

The Gallatin Watershed Council and Gallatin River Task Force will host a volunteer trash clean up between Sept. 20-22 across the entire Gallatin River Watershed, from its headwaters in Yellowstone National Park to its terminus at the Missouri Headwaters near Three Forks. 

This is the sixth fall clean up event hosted by the two organizations. The watershed council will organize the cleanup of the Lower Gallatin on Saturday, Sept. 21 from 2-4 p.m., while GRTF will host a cleanup of the Upper Gallatin Friday through Sunday, Sept. 20-22. Last year, the two groups removed 3,300 pounds of trash from the river.

“These cleanups bring the community together, have a tangible impact on our beloved water resources, and bring awareness to water quality issues that we face,” said Tess Parker, the watershed council’s community engagement manager. “It’s a special way to bring in a lot of people and to steward the resources that we all really value living in the Gallatin Watershed in the greater Bozeman and Big Sky area.”

Last year, 330 volunteers came together between both organizations to pick up beer cans, trash bags, tires, car parts, and other refuse from the Gallatin. This is the largest volunteer event for both the watershed council and GRTF each year.

“People just get really excited, and it’s really cool for people to see the type of work we’re doing on the ground,” said Lauren Myli, Big Sky Watershed Corps member. “People feel a part of something bigger than themselves.”

While most of the groups’ volunteer events are capped, Myli said it’s the more the merrier for the fall river cleanup.

“We can use as many people as possible, as many hands as possible, picking up as much trash as possible,” Myli said.

The watershed council’s cleanup will be followed by a volunteer celebration with ice cream sundaes, cold drinks and prizes of gear and clothing. Volunteers for GRTF also have the chance to win prizes—the volunteer or team who picks the strangest item of trash will win a prize—past prize-winning items include an empty wine bottle found in a mailbox, and a fake thousand dollar bill with Jesus’ face on it. All volunteers are automatically entered into a raffle for the chance to win $1,000 worth of goodies through GRTF’s “No Empty Nets” initiative, a program that encourages recreationists to collect trash while they’re out on the river.

The watershed council, based in Bozeman, and GRTF, based in Big Sky, are both nonprofits that promote stewardship of the Gallatin River Watershed through various programs including water monitoring, restoration projects and community action.

“We are the headwaters of the headwaters, and I think we have responsibility to keep our water resources clean for all of the millions of people down below who will use this water after us,” Parker said.

People can sign up to volunteer in the Big Sky and Gallatin Canyon area with GRTF here, or in the Bozeman area with GWC here.