Rogers Canyon cleanup highlights importance of responsible recreation

The Bureau of Land Management and community partners continued stewardship efforts at the Rogers Canyon parcel near Laramie during the biannual Rogers Canyon Cleanup on April 11. 

Located approximately nine miles northeast of Laramie, Rogers Canyon consists of a small parcel of BLM-managed public land surrounded by private property. The area is heavily used for recreation activities including motorized and non-motorized trail use, hiking, running, dog-walking and recreational shooting. Over the years, the area has also experienced ongoing issues with illegal dumping and abandoned target trash. 

During past cleanup events, volunteers have removed mattresses, couches, dead animals, household electronics, glass bottles, plastic and batteries from the area. In 2024, volunteers collected as much as 6,000 pounds of garbage during a single three-hour cleanup. During this year’s cleanup, volunteers removed approximately 1,250 pounds of garbage, the lowest amount recorded since the biannual cleanup began. 

The cleanup brought together 22 volunteers alongside partners including Common Outdoor Ground, Southeast Wyoming Outdoor Recreation Collaborative (SWORC), the City of Laramie and staff members from the BLM Wyoming Rawlins Field Office.  

Common Outdoor Ground coordinated outreach for the cleanup and provided volunteers, tools, trash bags and lunch for participants. SWORC supported outreach and networking, while the City of Laramie provided dumping waivers for the collected trash. The BLM provided recreation staff, a law enforcement ranger, and a dump trailer and truck used to haul garbage collected during the cleanup.

“When the community, stewardship partners, and the BLM come together for clean-up events of very public places, it creates immediate awareness. When we come together, not only do objectives get met, but professional networking is strengthened and communication becomes easier to facilitate for future projects,” said Andy Williams, outdoor recreation planner with the Rawlins Field Office. “Partners of the BLM and community volunteers are the backbone of the recreational spectrum for the BLM, especially when resources are tight.” 

Williams said the cleanup effort reflects the strong commitment of both the BLM Rawlins team and its community partners to public land stewardship. 

“The Rawlins team is very small, and committed to healthy public lands, but our partners carry the largest voice,” Williams said. “The team enjoys filling whatever role our partners need in order to accomplish these cleanup events. This event has sustained for five years now with no end in sight, and our hope is to create strength in the community to stop illegal dumping in Rogers Canyon and shift focus to trail building and maintenance in the area.” 

Williams added that long-term collaboration has been key to the event’s continued success. 

“The collaboration is successful by the partners following through (good times and bad) and looking to improve each year, and the BLM's commitment to be the best partner we can,” Williams said. “Without our partners the work becomes overwhelming.” 

The next biannual Rogers Canyon Cleanup is scheduled for September 2026. BLM Wyoming and its partners hope continued stewardship and community involvement will encourage visitors to help keep Rogers Canyon clean and reduce illegal dumping and abandoned shooting debris in the future.  

Community members interested in participating in future cleanup events are encouraged to follow local partner organizations and BLM Wyoming social media channels for volunteer opportunities and event information.