But tomorrow’s sand castles built along the shores of Lake Como could be today’s pickle and mayonnaise jars sitting in the refrigerators of Ravalli County residents.
Bitterroot National Forest officials are considering using locally gathered recycled glass to replenish the sand along Lake Como that’s been eroding away for years. The glass would be pulverized into round, smooth and very safe sand.
Recently, U.S. Forest Service officials toured Lake Como’s beach with members of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.
“It would be a great way to involve the community and put to good use local materials,” said Chip Britting, chairman of the Bitterroot Forest Green Team. “Most beach sands are the lowest form of glass there is. This effort would allow the beach sand to be replenished with local, recycled materials.”
Britting said the sand project is planned for three phases. The first includes a demonstration sandbox at Lake Como and a sample of pulverized glass sand at the forest headquarters in Hamilton.
“We’re still pursuing the idea at this point,” Britting said. “We’re looking at 2010 to be the time we implement the project, if the public is amenable. Right now, we’re working on ways to present this idea.”
Britting leads the newly formed Green Team, which is looking for ways for the agency to adhere to a mission of global sustainability.
“We recently had our inaugural meeting with the team,” said deputy forest supervisor Barry Paulson. “We had a woman from the regional office in Missoula come down and help us with listing short-term things that we can do in terms of thinking green.”
On the short-term list are encouraging Forest Service employees to turn off computers at the end of day, discussing how to organize a recycling program for tough-to-get-rid-of home items like computers, and creating programs to encourage people and businesses to turn off lights when not in use.
“We’re just beginning efforts within our local green team, but we hope to do a variety of things beginning with encouraging people to try and make a difference,” Paulson said. “I know a few businesses who have dramatically reduced their utility bill by just paying attention to turning off lights when they aren’t in the room.”
To reduce fuel use and costs, Paulson said, the agency has created a list that details the mileage rate of all Forest Service vehicles.
“It makes sense to use the least amount of fuel you have to, so we got a list together of the different vehicles and their mileages,” Paulson said. “That way, if employees are headed to either Missoula or Sula, they can pick the most economical vehicle to drive.”
Britting hopes to create some larger goals once the busy summer season slows down.
“It’s an extremely busy time of year for the Forest Service,” he said. “We’re hoping that once things settle down we can focus on creating long-term goals and possible programs. Right now, we’re just focusing on baby steps such as getting people to turn off their lights and computers until we have the time to get more ideas going.”
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