May 6

Lander, Wyoming (May 4th, 2020) — A small group of passionate and hardworking volunteers scoured the banks of the Middle Popo Agie River through Lander last week as part of an effort to clean a section of the community’s waterway. The group was organized by Wyoming Rivers Cooperative (WRC), with the assistance of the City of Lander, as well as other local conservation organizations. The idea was to create a socially distanced river clean up project that adhered to all state and federal regulations regarding group sizes and health protocols due to COVID-19, while strategically targeting areas of the river that needed attention.

The results. Four days of clean-up resulted in 2,500 lbs of trash and metal being pulled from the river in just one quarter mile section. (Landon Blanchard)
The results. Four days of clean-up resulted in 2,500 lbs of trash and metal being pulled from the river in just one quarter mile section. (Landon Blanchard)

“I think that especially during these trying times, it is important to notice the spaces we occupy and reconnect to them in meaningful ways. The pandemic provides space to reflect on what we want our home-river to be for the people of the Popo Agie Watershed.” – Elyse Guarino, Owner WRC.

Chris Kearns and his daughter Sara work carefully around an old car frame on the middle Popo Agie through Lander. (Landon Blanchard)
Chris Kearns and his daughter Sara work carefully around an old car frame on the middle Popo Agie through Lander. (Landon Blanchard)

Volunteers were organized into small groups (1-3 people) and asked to maintain a distance of 6’ apart while wearing makes and gloves. The groups were broken out into 2 hour time-slots over the course of 4 days — the river sections were broken out accordingly over that time period. Starting at the Chamber of Commerce and the Pronghorn Lodge and ending at the public access on East Eugene St, trash was pulled from the river corridor and placed into a dump trailer provided by the City of Lander. Nearly 2,500 lbs of trash and metal was pulled from the river.

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Sara Kearns hauls loose metal from the banks of the Popo Agie, while also adhering to health guidelines that suggest wearing a mask when out in public. Sara and her Dad, Chris, were among 13 volunteers that made the clean-up a success. Their hard work and dedication to the watershed, as well as the community of Lander was evident.

It is important to note that much of this river section consists of privately owned land, and thus this clean up would not have been possible without the permission and support of landowners and business owners along the river. 

“As a new business owner and someone who has worked in both outfitting and conservation, I’ve seen the value in creating relationships with local landowners and businesses. Our small communities function better when we support each other. Thank you to all those who supported this project.” – Landon Blanchard, Owner WRC.   

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Elyse Guarino holds up a mangled mess of wire and fencing that was along the bank and in the river channel near the Lander Chamber.Man-made materials like this are not at all uncommon along the Popo Agie, and at one time these materials served a purpose for bank stabilization. Now however, much of this loose metal wire no longer aids in stabilization and instead creates a dangerous nest of sharp protruding objects that litter the bank and river channel.

For decades, the Middle Popo Agie has been asked to do a lot — from providing for agriculture, municipal needs (including drinking water), recreation, as well as creating habitat for plants, wildlife, and fish species — it’s time that we give back to this resource that provides so much for us. A river clean up can be a small drop in the bucket but it’s a step towards creating a cultural shift that puts clean water, functioning ecosystems, and community needs at the forefront of our collective focus.    

A common scene along the river banks near the public access at east Eugene. (Landon Blanchard)
A common scene along the river banks near the public access at east Eugene. (Landon Blanchard)

“This clean-up successfully created greater awareness among the participants and the people we encountered along the Popo Agie to the human impacts that have damaged sections of this river and have previously been overlooked.” – Elyse Guarino 

WRC and our partners, including the Popo Agie Conservation District and their Healthy River Initiative, are excited to organize a larger and more public river clean up later in the Summer or in early Fall, with the hope of connecting even more people to the Popo Agie, our hometown river. You can sign up for rivers news and updates, as well as view our latest blog posts at  wyorivers.com/news.