In the Spotlight:  Other  

Boise District Schedules Clean-Up Events in April and May
During the April 19-20 weekend of "Earth Day" and on May 17, a total of four clean-up events will take place on public land in the Boise District.  On April 19, an event will take place at Blacks Creek Reservoir, located eight miles south of Boise.  Partners in the clean-up effort are BLM, Golden Eagle Audubon, Idaho Earth Fest, Idaho Bird Observatory, Idaho Wildlife Federation and Land Trust of the Treasure Valley.  Also on April 19, there will be a clean-up event in the Snake River Birds of Prey NCA co-sponsored by BLM and Geo-Cashers Anonymous, a large group of Geo-Cashers located throughout the Treasure Valley.  A third clean-up event that same weekend will take place on April 20 on public lands located south of Mountain Home.  The Mountain Home Four-Wheelers will be helping Boise District co-sponsor this event.  On May 17, M-3 of Eagle, a housing developer, is sponsoring a clean-up effort on public lands located in the foothills north of Eagle.

Boise District Experiencing Spike in Number of Hazmat Sites
Another hazardous materials dump site was reported on Kuna Butte in the Snake River Birds of Prey NCA.  According to Paul Seronko, Boise District soils scientist and environmental protection specialist, this is the sixth hazmat site that has been reported over the last three months.  “With the price of precious metals at an all-time high, we are seeing an increase in theft and burning of copper wire from our communication sites and agricultural pump houses by individuals who burn the wire to get the copper to buy drugs, specifically, methamphetamine,” said Seronko.  “Unfortunately, for every hazmat site reported, there are another five not yet found that will cause some degree of soil contamination and pose varying degrees of health risk to individuals recreating on the public lands.”  The District has contacted local media affiliates and will take reporters out to the site to increase the public’s awareness of the growing problem and safety issues.  The taxpayers can pay up to thousands of dollars in clean-up costs for these sites, depending on their size, extent of clean-up and amount of soil removal necessary.