Trish Drinkle, outdoor enthusiast and community organizer raised funds to clear out the Leadville squatters camp.
Recreation Sites and Trails BC offered Drinkle $2,000 on Friday. Now, Drinkle says she can hire the appropriate equipment to remove larger scrap metals and junk from the area.
Not her first attempt, Drinkle says she’d called Recreation Sites and Trails before, and that they helped her with another site.
“Actually, I’d called them in July. They said it was kind of out of their realm but they offered to help in a clean up, revamping the Arkansas Lake site.”
Off the beaten path in the Kitchener Valley on the Leadville Forest service road, this space is an important access point for those wishing to explore the backcountry, according to Drinkle. Squatters had left the camp in shambles, with a trailer all but crushed by last years elements.
The project needs volunteers this weekend if weather permits. Otherwise the clean up may have to be postponed until spring. If you wish to lend a helping hand, go to the Creston Backcountry Clean-up Crew public Facebook group.