SLC residents pull weeds to spruce up Jordan River trails

Thanks to all who came out to help!

The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published Jun 23 2012 02:39 pm • Last Updated Jun 23 2012 11:13 pm

(Keith Johnson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Karen Wheeler and her son Peter, 7, along with Ben Holcomb in the background, help pull noxious weeds during a Jordan River trail cleanup event at the Day Riverside Library in Salt Lake City June 23, 2012.

The event, sponsored by the Children's Environmental Health & Environmental Justice Initiative in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Quality, focused on finding and removing weeds along the Jordan River trail, as well as planting trees.

Trails along the Jordan River got spruced up a bit Saturday when participants in the Children’s Environmental Health Environmental Justice Geographic Initiative made the cleanup part of a community celebration.

The event began at the Day Riverside Library in Salt Lake City. After removing noxious weeds and planting trees, participants ate lunch and enjoyed various activities and giveaways.

The initiative focuses on reducing environmental risks to children’s health, according to a news release. The Jordan River trail cleanup was organized as part of Saturday’s celebration in response to a community needs assessment that identified the river as an amenity residents would like to see cleaned up and made safer.

Partners in the initiative are Utah Department of Environmental Quality; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Utah Society for Environmental Education; Communidadas Unidas; Environ; Salt Lake County, Jordan River Commission; Swire Coca-Cola, Salt Lake City; Breathe Utah; Utah Department of Health; Springcreek Conservation and Native Nursery; Utah Interfaith Power & Light; and University of Utah Moving Across Places Study.