ST. GEORGE – As part of a campaign to keep Washington County’s public lands beautiful, the county and its partners are sponsoring a cleanup project in the Bloomington area of St. George Saturday morning.
The area near the Bearclaw Poppy Trailhead west of Navajo Drive is heavily used for recreational shooting, all-terrain vehicles, mountain bikers and others and is often littered with trash and debris.
Dozens of Washington County residents cleaned up the area April 1, gathering 30 cubic yards of trash from public lands in the area and significantly improving a recreation area that was once an eyesore, officials said in a written statement. But more help is needed to beautify the area, and the county is asking the public’s help with trash removal.
Read more: Off-roaders remove car, shooting debris, sofas and more from SITLA ‘eyesore’
Washington County recently launched a new countywide campaign to raise residents’ awareness and participation in keeping public lands clean.
Unveiled in November by the Washington County Commission, the “Give Your Land a Hand” campaign encourages residents to clean up after themselves and pick up any garbage they come across while recreating on public lands.
“This is one of those opportunities that everybody from both sides of the political spectrum can get behind and work together on,” Public Lands Clean Up Committee Chairman Rev. Jimi Kestin said.
“Because we all believe that our public lands are worthy of being kept clean … I’m always looking for reasons to unify people.”
Kestin is senior pastor at the Solomon’s Porch Foursquare Fellowship in St. George and is known for his service in the county’s business and faith communities.
For Saturday’s event, trash bags and dumpsters will be provided. Participants are asked to supply their own gloves, water and snacks for the event and to wear protective clothing such as boots, hats, long-sleeve shirts and long pants.
The cleanup will run from 8:30 a.m. to noon; however, volunteers are welcome at any point during this time. Event coordinators will be on hand to direct volunteers, Kestin said.
Volunteers are asked to visit the welcome station located at the Bear Claw Poppy trailhead at the west end of Navajo Drive in Bloomington. At the station, they will receive directions to cleanup sites and dumpsters, sign volunteer release waivers and will be given the opportunity to join the Give Your Land a Hand mailing list to obtain notices of future events.
For more information see the county’s Give Your Land a Hand webpage or email [email protected].
Partners supporting the event include Washington County, Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, the Bureau of Land Management St. George Field Office and Arizona Strip District, Republic Services, Washington County’s Interfaith Council, Utah Public Lands Alliance, the State of Utah, Trust Lands Administration, the City of St. George, Walmart, Target and Costco.
Event details
- What: Public land cleanup.
- When: Saturday, May 13 from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
- Where: Bearclaw Poppy Trailhead at the west end of Navajo Drive in Bloomington.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.
Aw heck, just put in 500 more houses, that’ll take care of the garbage dump, and you can add a $50 a month to a HOA to do nothing but sit on their overpaid …*….
Ed. ellipsis: …*
Most forms of recreational shooting can be done at the Southern Utah Shooting Sports Park just past the county fairgrounds near the DMV office off of State Road 9.