FLATHEAD VALLEY — Residents of the Flathead Valley are rolling up their sleeves this spring with multiple community clean-up events popping up in the area. Volunteers aim to clean up trash, protect wildlife, and keep the county looking its best.
Volunteers from multiple Flathead County communities grabbed trash bags and vests to pitch in on Saturday.
"Looking forward to getting the streets and roads cleaned up around Bigfork," Bigfork Chamber of Commerce Board Member John Caldwell said.
The Bigfork Chamber of Commerce hosted the Clean Your Fork event, saying it is necessary this time of year due to the upcoming tourist season.
"It's very vital to make sure the city, the streets, everything stays clean," Caldwell said.
Hundreds of volunteers spent their morning helping, including Chris and Cheryl Zabel, who already spend several days a week picking up trash.
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"We don't want it in the rivers, we don't want it in the lake. This is beautiful country and once you start seeing garbage, you can't unsee it ," volunteer Cheryl Zabel said.
Just across Flathead Lake, the community of Lakeside held its own spring clean-up event.
"It's just about giving out community a really fun, good spring cleaning coming out and just showing that we're a community together," Lakeside Sommers Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ali Coleman said.
Leaders and volunteers alike say it means the most to them that future generations are being taught to respect the planet.
"The most important thing is to get kids involved so they understand how important it is. So when it's not organized day like today, they'll just see trash and want to pick it up," Lakeside Sommers Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Wendi Phelps said.
Volunteers hope the momentum doesn't stop when the event does.
"If you see trash, especially the big stuff, stop and pick it up. It's not hard to do," volunteer Chris Zabel said.
