STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
A burned guitar, a Neil Diamond CD, a “Let’s Party” flask, a broken Rubik cube and a chaise lounge.
Don’t look now because these items are off the streets of Ketchum.
Valley residents canvassed Ketchum, Hailey and Bellevue last Saturday in the nonprofit Environmental Resource Center’s annual Clean Sweep.
Several members of Trout Unlimited found the chaise lounge along the Big Wood River near River Run Lodge. They took a few minutes to sit on it and strum the guitar they’d found there before continuing their treasure hunt.
“We found a muffler, too,” said Ed Northen.
Ketchum saw 110 litter pickers turn out—more than twice the 55 who turned out in Hailey. Ten people showed up in Bellevue.
“Usually, Hailey gets more people. Ketchum’s is 70 more than last year,” said Hadley DeBree, executive director of the ERC.
In Ketchum, Mary Malkmus collected the most trash of any individual, bagging three bags. A team from Starbucks collected 18 bags—the most of any team.
Clean Sweep was sponsored by a number of businesses, including Clif Bar, KB’s, Power House, Dang’s Thai Cuisine and Atkinsons’ Market.
Now, the focus turns to pup waste.
The ERC is working with WOW-Students and students from The Sage School, Community School, Wood River Middle School and Wood River High School to clean up unattended dog waste at local trailheads.
So far, WOW-students have picked up more than a thousand piles of unattended waste in Quigley Canyon, Adams Gulch and the Boundary Creek area north of Sun Valley.