Volunteers remove trash from public land in Bingham County

Several volunteers spent the day removing trash from public land near Blackfoot on Sunday, days after Local News 8 first told you about how these lands are being transformed into dumping grounds.

They filled dozens of trash bags with used plastics and hauled away old television sets and appliances. Amongst the debris, they even spotted an elk carcass.

“Idaho’s beautiful, you know, and instead of looking out and seeing what nature gave us and stuff, you see all the garbage, all the impact that we’ve had on it,” said volunteer Shane Stoumbaugh.

Volunteers said most of the debris was left by people who use it for target shooting.

“Pop cans, pop bottles. A lot of people like to shoot those. My son just found a piece of a bowling ball,” said volunteer Corie Dursteler, who’s also part of a shooting group called Women of Caliber.

Dursteler’s group and other volunteers regularly shoot on public lands, but say they always clean up after themselves. It’s when shooters leave their targets that they say problems arise.

“There’s just glass everywhere. I mean, you don’t even want your kids to come out here or yourself to come out here because it’s so dang dangerous,” said volunteer Jerry Wallace, who helped organize Sunday’s cleanup.

“Disheartening, you know, that people that share the same enthusiasm for shooting stuff that I do don’t share the same wants to keep it nice and pretty,” said Stoumbaugh.

Next month, volunteers plan to clean up public lands near Rigby. You can learn more about these cleanup efforts at http://www.luvrlands.com.

According to the Bureau of Land Management, those caught dumping on public lands could face a fine and be forced to clean up their mess. Fines vary depending on the type of material that is dumped.