PAYETTE COUNTY, Idaho — Huge piles of garbage are littering the high desert west of the Treasure Valley, and one Idaho man is organizing a massive volunteer effort to clean up the 20,000-acre area.

Mike Long started the Facebook group 208Cleanup to organize volunteer cleanups across the state. He is hoping to get volunteers to join him on Saturday, April 11, to help remove the trash.

“This one is huge, it’s 20,000 acres,” Long said.

One man’s mission to clean up the Idaho desert

No one hired Long to clean up the desert. He took on the mission because he could not stand to see his home state desecrated.

“There’s more trash in this area than I have picked up in the two years that I’ve been doing this as 208Cleanup,” Long said.

The debris includes mysterious items, like an inflatable, and ordinary household trash.

“This is a bunch of household trash. This was someone’s house that got cleaned up. Clearly, you can see that someone dumped out here thinking no one cares about this land,” Long said.

Some of the garbage contains names, which has prompted an investigation.

“This pile’s been picked over by the BLM law enforcement. They’ve pulled out names and addresses from pieces of mail, so they’re investigating,” Long said.

Long believes community involvement is the key to keeping public lands pristine.

“If we as the community as the actual owners of this land, take care of it, it’s a lot cheaper, plus we’re invested in it, so when people come out to abuse it, it’s us, it’s the people that are seeing them and correcting each other and ourselves,” Long said.

Again, the cleanup is set for Saturday. Long has secured donations of garbage bags and huge dumpsters. He says the landfill has waived its drop-off fee for whatever is collected.
He adds that there are a lot of old, used tires in the area. The landfill will not waive the fees for them, so any donations are welcome. Otherwise, the tires will have to be gathered to one spot until the funds can be raised.

If you plan to volunteer, go to 208Cleanup on Facebook to sign up and learn more. Also, make sure to wear thick gloves and heavy-duty shoes.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

IDAHO — Starting July 1, three new laws designed to better protect Idaho’s most vulnerable children will take effect, changing the way the state handles child welfare.

RELATED|Governor Brad Little signs Isaiah’s Law, expanding child protections in Idaho

Gov. Brad Little signed Isaiah’s Law, the Foster Child Safety Act, and Benji’s Law, a trio of legislation designed to strengthen protections for children in foster care and state custody.

“I think they’re gonna immediately help a lot of kids in Idaho. I think there’s a lot of kids that are in some really difficult situations,” foster parent Kevin Watson said.

At the center of these efforts is adoptive mother Monique Peyre, who first came to Idaho News 6 after a 12-day-old baby boy, Benjamin, was found dead in Nampa.

Benjamin’s parents, Allysen Armenta and Brian Lemke, are currently in Canyon County custody, facing charges in connection with his death.

WATCH:
Interview with the group of parents who helped pass all three bills

From tragedy to reform, advocates help pass 3 Idaho child protection laws

Peyre, who had previously adopted Benjamin’s siblings, became a driving force behind the legislative pushes.

RELATED|Governor Brad Little signs Benji’s Law to protect children from abusive parents

Alongside Peyre were foster parents Nicole and Joe Egbert, Watson, and other current foster parents. Together, they led the push to pass all three bills into law.

“We knew there was a problem. Foster parents knew there was a problem. And it’s like, how do we address it? And let’s actually try to come up with a real solution. And I think that’s what this did is it creates something that’s real and tangible that people can say we want to protect kids,” Watson said.

Senate Bill 1257, or Isaiah’s Law, inspired by Peyre’s adopted son Isaiah, strengthens protections for foster children during family visitations.

House Bill 776, Benji’s Law, created in honor of the 12-day-old Benjamin, ensures faster intervention when infants are identified as being at risk.

House Bill 724, the Foster Child Safety Act, updates guidance for caseworkers and courts, making it clearer how to protect children in foster care and state custody.

“It’s this relief and I think that was the biggest thing I felt when all three of these bills passed was just finally change,” Nicole Egbert said.

The group said one of the hardest parts of the process was testifying multiple times and facing opposition from Idaho lawmakers.

“I do believe it violates the Constitution specifically the Fourth Amendment,” Rep. Leavitt said.

“Super draining to share all the stories that we shared and um of real life children in the state of Idaho but yeah to see that push back after sharing those kinds of stories it was really hard,” Peyre said.

The group hopes their experience shows that it’s never too late to speak up and reach out to local government officials, even if you’re not familiar with legislation at first.

The group said they are taking a break for now, but hope to continue advocacy in the future.