East Gallatin Cleanup

For fly-fishers, spring is a godsend: no more frozen fingers, lethargic fish, or streamside shiver-fits. But before you get all giddy about warm days and feisty, ravenous trout, think about what comes with it: the removal of winter’s cosmetic blanket. That’s right, it’s trash time in Southwest Montana, when the snow cover melts and four months’ worth of rubbish suddenly appears to our otherwise-awestruck eyes.

If you want to help purge this aesthetic irritant from our spring viewshed, join the Gallatin Valley Wadin’ Women (GVWW) for their annual East Gallatin Cleanup. Staged at the Bozeman Beach, the event includes a post-cleanup barbeque, various awards & prizes (most trash, weirdest trash, largest piece of trash, etc.), cool schwag from local sponsors, and free beer from Bozeman Brewing Company. You can organize your own cleanup team or join one when you arrive; each team is assigned its own section of river to clean. Garbage bags are provided. Be sure to bring gloves, durable clothing, and a willingness to work hard—waterlogged rubbish isn’t light, and last year’s event produced over five dumpsters’ worth.

For more information, call GVWW president Jordan Schwartz at 570-8573, or email [email protected].