BELLE FOURCHE—Volunteers once again teamed up to continue to beautify the Belle Fourche community on August 14. This time, their target was all of the dirty old tires that had been dumped into the Belle Fourche River near the Roundup Sports Complex.
A group of over 20 individuals led by Nikki Hoyme, Clint Haffner, Brit and Trey Clarkson joined forces with the Belle Fourche Broncs Cross Country Team, their parents, the Monument Health United Way Volunteer Group and David Prozeller to remove tires from the Belle Fourche River.
In addition to detracting from a naturally beautiful place, the old tires that were dumped in the river can damage aquatic habitats, harm wildlife and contribute pollutants to the water. “We wanted to do it because it is a giant eyesore in our community right along the bike path and also the pollution being caused by the tires breaking down isn’t good for the environment,” explained Hoyme. “We hope this helps make the Roundup Complex look even better.”
The massive undertaking took a while to plan and even involved a practice run that included removing a few old tires from the water to ensure they had a safe way to get them out when everyone else was there to help. The tires have been piling up for many years. “People have commented to Clint and I over the past 10 years, on and off about how bad the tires in the river looked,” shared Hoyme. “Brit Clarkson and I have talked about wanting to do what we could to remove tires for the past couple of years. With the dry conditions we decided to give it a go this year.”
The group successfully pulled 250 tires out of the Belle Fourche River. Tires of every size, from bicycle and car tires to truck and tractor tires, were removed. The project took around 10 hours, including some prep time and follow-up cleaning. Most of the adults in the group took the day off work to complete the project, including Brit and Trey Clarkson, Clint Haffner and Nikki Hoyme. The city of Belle Fourche worked with volunteers to coordinate the disposal of the tires. They provided a roll-off dumpster to collect the old tires.
The crew focused on just a small portion of the river and there are still more tires that need to be removed. “We hope we made a large dent in the number of tires in the river there,” said Hoyme. “We know there are more tires in there and ideally there would be another cleanup when the water is down.”
This dedicated group of citizens continues to find projects that benefit the community. From cleaning up tires to trimming trees and picking up trash after the Fourth of July parade, they are very hard-working. If you would like to get involved in a cleanup project, reach out and lend a hand. “We believe in trying to be a part of a solution versus just being aware of a concern and either looking the other way or complaining to others about it,” shared Hoyme.
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