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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

LDS stakes organize park cleanup Saturday

The Northwest members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are giving back to the community on Saturday through a large-scale cleanup at Riverside State Park.

The church’s Firestorm Prevention project is in conjunction with the LDS Church celebrating 100 years in the Inland Northwest. Everyone is welcome to join in. The cleanup will be between 8 a.m. and noon. Volunteers will be welcome until 10 a.m.

Only those 12 years and older are asked to participate, for safety reasons.

Workers are asked to meet where Government Way, Trails Road and Aubrey L. White Parkway come together. A staff member will direct traffic to work areas. Vehicles will be able to park along trails next to worksites, so water can be stored in vehicles.

Kim Olson, stake high council for activities at the Spokane East Stake, said members of all five Spokane stakes will participate in the project as organizers are expecting more than 1,000 volunteers. There are more than 20,000 members at Spokane’s five stakes.

Among the jobs (some requiring loppers or hand saws): Cutting down small pine trees; cutting off low-lying limbs; dragging trees to the side of the trail roads; mowing noxious weeds.

Supervisors will show volunteers what to do. Olson said park rangers will return to the work sites to shred the trees and deposit the debris onto the forest floor.

All volunteers should bring gloves, water and wear long pants. Loppers, hand saws, rakes and gas powered trimmers also are needed.

The project will be the church’s biggest service project since its ice storm cleanup nearly 10 years ago.