Tired of Tires

Well, it doesn’t have to be that way.  At least not here.  Not in our little corner of Idaho.

The Idaho Foundation is cleaning up the recently acquired Gregerson property, the last large privately owned parcel of land in the 450 acre Barber Pool Wildlife Preserve. Instead of being developed into yet another massive subdivision, this 36 acre parcel of land – with nearly a mile of river frontage – will now be protected and maintained along with the rest of the Preserve for the benefit of wildlife and future generations of Boiseans.  You’re feeling better already, right?

Well, here’s some more good news.  Your donation of time, money, and/or construction equipment will help us properly recycle and dispose of over a thousand cubic yards of abandoned vehicles, farm equipment, old tires, discarded lumber, broken down appliances and assorted other junk.  Removal of these items will permit us to move forward with restoration of this property to its natural beauty.  Already, with the help of generous donors, the strong backs of neighborhood volunteers, and equipment donated by local contractors, we’ve removed over 1100 tires, 20 large dumpsters of recyclables, and 17 dumpsters of trash, as well as numerous old cars, trucks and farm vehicles.

But we still have a long way to go.  So please help us clean up the Gregerson property.  I guarantee you will feel better about this messed up world.  The pictures of our happy volunteers prove it!

Update from Skippy and Scrappy

Hey y’all. We are totally stoked to announce that, with your help, we have now removed 1000’s of cubic yards of trash, recyclables and tires and are close to completing Phase 1 of our clean up.  We have also met our Phase 1 fundraising goal with a little left over for Phases 2 and 3.  All we can say is WOW and thank you, thank you, thank you!!

But what, you may ask, are we going to be doing in Phases 2 and 3?  Great question!

In Phase 2, we are going to focus on demolition and/or removal of large structures and equipment, including the building at the entrance to the property, assorted cinderblock structures, and endless amounts of discarded or damaged fencing.  We are also going to remove and re-home a number of trucks and trailers, as well as other equipment.

Phase 3 is the re-vegetation part of the project.  After consulting with our pro bono team of botanists, hydrologists, engineers and even a  water rights lawyer, we will get to work removing invasive plants and re-seeding and/or planting native species that will help return this wonderful property to its pristine natural state.

We are still working on getting estimates for the scope and expense of these efforts, and will keep you posted.

Thanks again to all of you for your donations and your time, and to Warner Construction . . . for your donations of time, services, equipment, and operators.

As always, if you would like to volunteer to help with the clean-up, please contact our front desk girl, Stephani Hilding at stef@idaholands.org.