Klamath National Forest

Newsroom - Klamath National Forest And Bureau Of Land Management Volunteers Clean Up Along Shasta River

Contact: Davida Carnahan (530) 841-4485

DISCOVERY HIGH SCHOOL CLEAN-UP CREW
Students from Discovery HS in Yreka participated in a volunteer clean-up project along the Shasta River in Siskiyou County.
  Pictured left to right:  Jake Callendar; Andrew Cox; Alex Crippen; Cody Potter; Ryan Crowe; Xochitl Gibson;
Rick Meredith, Discovery HS teacher; Dave Payne, Klamath NF River Ranger;
Nolan Crenshaw, Happy Camp/Oak Knoll River Ranger; Phil McNeal, Happy Camp/Oak Knoll Recreation Officer;
Jerry Mosier, Klamath NF Wild & Scenic River Coordinator. 

For immediate release.

Yreka, CA (June 10, 2008).... Volunteers from the Discovery High School in Yreka participated in a clean-up project along the Shasta River on June 3.  It was the third annual event sponsored by the Klamath National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Redding Field Office, and the second year that students from the Discovery High School took up the challenge to restore the Shasta River.

The Pioneer Bridge in Siskiyou County spans the Shasta River 200 feet above the water.  It offers natural canyon views along State Highway 263, also known as the State of Jefferson Scenic Byway.  One of the most popular recreational activities on national forests is viewing natural scenery, but the view from the Pioneer Bridge has become that of a dumping site for household refuse, which creates adverse effects to natural resources and obstacles for public land managers. 

Last year Discovery High School students collected all the rubbish beneath the Pioneer Bridge into a large pile at a safe location, but one that did not have road access to remove it from the canyon.  The students returned this year to haul the collected trash onto rafts and ferry it across the river where they loaded it onto a truck for transport to the local disposal site.  They ferried several loads which included the remains of a television, a washing machine, motor scooter and bicycle, along with several car parts, car battery fragments, a refrigerator, shopping carts and dozens of cans and bottles. 

Dumping household trash anywhere on public lands is a criminal act under the Code of Federal Regulations.  Depositing refuse along any river may endanger fisheries by impairing water quality.  The Shasta River is a tributary to the Klamath River, which has been designated as a Wild and Scenic River for its outstanding salmon and steelhead fishery values.  Under the Wild and Scenic River Act, and with public involvement, selected free-flowing rivers have been designated as Wild and Scenic because they conserve places where communities and natural resources thrive.   

USDA Forest Service - Klamath National Forest
Last Modified: Wednesday, 11 June 2008 at 06:56:41 EDT