Volunteers remove nearly 7 tons of garbage from Hubbard Mesa
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RIFLE, Colo. – More than 40 volunteers removed nearly seven tons of garbage from public land north of Rifle on Saturday as part of an annual clean-up sponsored by High Country 4 Wheelers and White River Trail Runners.
The volunteers from the two off-highway vehicle clubs along with the Aspen Dirt Bike School also designed and constructed a motocross track for visitors to the Bureau of Land Management’s Hubbard Mesa OHV area to use.
The motocross track is part of a number of recently completed improvements to the OHV area, including three open shade structures with picnic tables, a double-vault style restroom, and informational kiosks.
“We hope these improvements will make this popular OHV area an even better experience for the public, and we hope they will discourage the amount of illegal dumping that also occurs in this area,” said Greg Wolfgang, outdoor recreation planner for the BLM’s Colorado River Valley Field Office.
Volunteers filled two 40-yard trash containers with a variety of garbage that had accumulated since last year’s clean-up. The large trash containers were donated by Redi Services and Mountain Refuse Inc. (MRI). Riverside Import Autos donated use of a skid steer and Dick Casey Concrete donated use of a front-end loader, both of which were used to construct the motocross track. Garfield County provided support through discounted dumping fees to their landfill.
“We really appreciate all of the volunteer support from the local clubs, businesses, users, and local governments. These types of on-going partnerships help the BLM to provide better recreation opportunities to the public,” Wolfgang said.
The next event sponsored by High Country 4 Wheelers and White River Trail Runners is a trail work day May 18 in partnership with BLM and the U.S. Forest Service for Transfer Trail outside of Glenwood Springs, a popular four-wheel drive route into the Flattops.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.