BOISE, Idaho — One of the gems of the Gem State is its outdoors, but a trend has been trashing Idaho's beauty.
As camping season winds down, land managers still face the daunting task of cleaning up trashed campsites. In recent years, people's carelessness and litter has threatened to close - or outright closed popular campsites and recreation spots.
Boise National Forest officials said that while outdoor recreation has dipped a little since the peak of the pandemic, the amount of trash they're seeing has not. They say the issue is very prevalent, and rangers get regular reports and complaints about trash littering campsites.
"There's always been people that have been inconsiderate, and leaving trash behind," Boise National Forest Public Affairs Officer Mike Williamson said. "With the growth of the population of the valley combined with the pandemic - the emphasis on outdoor recreation, it has gotten worse."
From trash left behind at an abandoned campsite along the South Fork Payette River, to trashed toilets along Arrowrock Reservoir, truckloads of trash have been hauled out of campsites.
"This isn't one thing that just happened five years ago. We're almost getting photos regularly, unfortunately," Williamson said.
Williamson says some of the easy-to-access areas close to Boise are getting hit the hardest.
"One of the unfortunate issues with trash is sometimes if trash has been left behind - trash begets more trash," Williamson said. "So, some of the areas that tend to be bad tend to stay bad."
The issues take up Forest Service funds, since they have to hire contracts to clean up the mess.
"The funds that go toward that are funds that we can't put toward some other resource," Williamson said. "So, it's a strain on us financially, to our budgets."
Arriving at a trashed campsite could also ruin other's experiences outdoors.
"You're really not just disrespecting the land, you're disrespecting your fellow citizens," Williamson said. "We all need to clean up after ourselves and be considerate of other folks."
You can do that by following the principles of 'Leave no Trace' and if you pack it in - pack it out.
"When folks go out to the woods or go out to the field, of course they plan to bring water, they bring food, they bring extra clothing. We're trying to stress that bringing some garbage bags is part of that planning," Williamson said. "Being prepared to take your trash and stuff back with you."
If you see violations, including illegal dumping, you can report it to officials with pictures or video.
"That kind of information has been sent to us and sent to our law enforcement officers, and it has led to citations in the past," Williamson said.
Including a trashed camping overstay site north of Crouch that led to an arrest in July.
"We all have a responsibility in keeping the public lands clean and keeping those special as they are," Williamson said. "And we just ask people to pack it in, pack it out and be prepared."
Trashed campsites aren't just a problem seen in the Boise National Forest, it has caused issues across the state.
On Monday, Idaho Fish and Game began limiting access to the Ahsahka site near Orofino because of abuse including vandalism, garbage and drug use.
The U.S. Forest Service and several other land agencies partner for a campaign called Recreate Responsibly Idaho.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist:
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET NEWS FROM KTVB:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Watch news reports for FREE on YouTube: KTVB YouTube channel
Stream Live for FREE on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching 'KTVB'.
Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download.