North Central Montana District employees celebrate new adoption

Jul 21, 2025

Bureau of Land Management staff members with the North Central Montana District became the proud parents of a 2-mile-long Adopt a Highway section and held their first cleanup event on Thursday, July 17.

Over 20 volunteers donned protective gloves and high-visibility vests while they explored for discarded trash along U.S. Highway 87 between mile markers 83 and 85, collecting numerous bags full of garbage from the grassy shoulders on both sides of the road.

Photo of an Adopt A Highway sign designating the BLM North Central Montana District’s section of Highway 87, east of Lewistown, Montana. Orange-colored safety sign and law enforcement pickup truck in the background along the highway shoulder. — BLM North Central Montana District employees gathered July 17 for their first Adopt A Highway cleanup event. BLM photo by Eric Amundson.

The district’s highway adoption started as a random topic of conversation between Eric Amundson, district law enforcement supervisor, and district manager Zane Fulbright, who was telling Amundson about his participation with a similar local Rotary Club event.

“He (Amundson) thought that was a great thing to do, and he volunteered to coordinate the same effort for us,” said Fulbright. “When we checked the Adopt A Highway website, we found the stretch of highway east of Lewistown – directly in front of our district office – was available for adopting.”

Photo of four men wearing yellow and orange safety vests and black rubber gloves picking up trash from the grassy shoulder of Highway 87. — Protective gear, like gloves and reflective vests, helped keep BLM-NCMD volunteers safe while searching for trash along the grassy shoulders of Highway 87. BLM photo by Becky Cooper.

“With all of the traffic on this end of Highway 87, it sure could use our help to keep our community clean and beautiful,” said Amundson.

While cleaners rounded up the roadside trash, more volunteers gathered at the district’s outside break area, preparing barbecued burgers and hot dogs to celebrate the new adoption.

“While everything we do in the BLM supports the care of public lands located throughout north-central Montana, it’s nice when an opportunity presents itself to get together outside of regular work to help make a difference right in our own town,” Fulbright said.