Earth Day is Monday and Butte-Silver Bow County employees are planning to put their work gear on and start cleaning up.
The event will go on all week, with each department picking a date and a location.
Chosen areas include Clark Park, the exterior of the Butte Civic Center, Stodden Park/Highland View Golf Course, exterior of the B-SB Courthouse and Health Department, along with the courtyard at the intersection of Utah and Front streets.
The national environmental awareness initiative got its start in 1970, thanks to its founder, Sen. Gaylord Nelson, a Democrat from Wisconsin, and quickly went global.
Butte got involved as well. On April 22, 1970, a group of students from South Central Junior High School were out picking up trash, as were elementary students from Blaine, Greeley, Kennedy, Lincoln, Monroe, McKinley and Washington schools. Montana Tech hosted an Earth Day seminar and a student at Butte High School showed some activism by wearing a mask to protest air pollution.
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There are other area Earth Day events planned even sooner than Monday.
At Lewis and Clark Caverns near Whitehall on Saturday,you canjoin members of the Southwest Montana Mountain Bike Association, along with officials from Montana State Parks, and other trail stewards for Earth Day trail work, which includes repair and weed management. Cleanup is 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Tools will be provided. Be sure to bring work gloves, sturdy shoes, a water bottle, and clothing for outdoor work. A barbecue will be on tap after the cleanup. To register, call 406-287-3541.
Volunteer to help with the Big Hole River cleanup on Saturday. Wild Montana’s Southwestern Wildlands Chapter will sponsor “Earth Day Big Hole River Cleanup” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The group will meet at the Divide Bridge Campground.
The Big Hole River begins high in the mountains south of Wisdom and joins the Wise River at the “big old rock” just north of Wise River. From there, it flows another 55 miles before joining up with the Beaverhead and Ruby Rivers to form the Jefferson.
Along this area are numerous fishing access sites and campgrounds managed by the Bureau of Land Management and Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. The river is popular year-round for floating and fishing. With popularity comes the usual trash and overflowing fire pits, which the agencies need help keeping up with.
More than 20 volunteers showed up last year to pitch in and by day’s end, sat down for a hearty meal at the Melrose Salmon Fly camping area. Registration is required by going to the Wild Montana website. For more details, call Roger at 406-491-0090.
There are no Earth Day plans in Whitehall, but the town is gearing up for its Arbor Day Festival from noon to 3 p.m. on Friday, April 26, at the Whitehall Community Center.
At the center, there will be games and information for both adults and children. In addition, free tree seedlings will be available.