No matter how much the message “pack it in, pack it out” is promoted in natural areas, there are some people who choose to ignore it, leaving behind all kinds of garbage.
Zach Welter of Meridian, a junior at Owyhee High School, decided to tackle the problem as his Eagle Scout project, organizing a group to clean up garbage on a piece of Bureau of Land Management property that is part of the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area.
“I have a huge passion for the outdoors and have visited this area often, and always clean up litter when I am outside,” Zach shared. “So this project was ultimately an extension of my own passions and interests.”
He coordinated with the BLM to organize a group of 23 volunteers, who gave a combined 100 hours of their time to clean up 162 cubic feet of garbage, which included 35 bags of garbage, three tires, one barbecue and several large car parts.
Zach said the project took logistical planning and preparation, “but it was 100% worth it because that is what enabled the project to go smoothly. It was gratifying the sheer volume of trash we were able to gather in just a few hours of work.”
Zach is a member of Scout Troop 1 in Meridian, which is chartered by American Legion Post 113. His dad, Wayne Welter, said their only regret was that they didn’t have the capacity to carry out more garbage. “With so many new folks moving to the area we wanted to raise awareness of keeping our public lands pristine,” he shared.
