The Kenai River is looking cleaner and healthier thanks to the hard work of nearly 500 students who participated in the 10th Annual Kenai River Spring Cleanup on Wednesday, April 15. The event, organized by the Kenai River Sportfishing Association (KRSA), was a resounding success, drawing together youth from across the Kenai Peninsula to help protect one of Alaska’s most iconic waterways.
Students from Sterling Elementary, Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science, Mountain View Elementary, various Kenai-area schools, and several homeschool groups rolled up their sleeves to clean up seven heavily-used public access points along the river.
They collected various forms of trash, such as discarded fishing lines, contributing to a cleaner, safer habitat for salmon and other local wildlife. The event made a visible difference to the river and was a powerful lesson in stewardship and responsibility.
Cindy Glassmaker, the woman who had the idea for the event several years ago, said she thinks the Kenai River is always going to have a certain amount of trash here and there. She mentioned that they pulled items from tires to cellphones at the cleanup. “We are a tourist-based location, and not everybody’s mindful, but I always tell kids every little bit helps.”
The Kenai River Spring Cleanup highlights how community action can create lasting impacts for the environment.
Since the program began in 2014, nearly 4,000 students have removed more than 19,000 pounds of trash, reinforcing the event’s role in conservation and environmental education.