208 Cleanup is a volunteer organization that works to pick up trash on public lands. Organizers say that they found all sorts of interesting things at the bottom of the Kuna Caves during Saturday's volunteer cleanup.
"We found tons of tires, firework remnants, broken bottles, burnt wood, pallets, cardboard and just about every kind of piece of trash imaginable somehow found its way into our cave," said Mike Long, who created 208 Cleanup.
WATCH: Head inside the cave and see how a local crane company hauled out the trash
Neighborhood Reporter Steve Dent went down the 50-foot ladder into the old lava tube to check out the 18 volunteers in action.
The entrance provides the only natural light inside, so volunteers went down the cave in both directions with flashlights.
Crews even pulled out the old hood of a car.
"The people that care about our public lands are the people that come out and volunteer, and a great crowd always shows up," Long said.
However, this project provided a challenge to get all the trash out of the cave.
To help, Seid Crane Service, a local business in Kuna, volunteered to bring out a crane to pull out all the trash the volunteers collected.
One of those volunteers was District 23 representative Chris Bruce. He decided to come out and help instead of spending his weekend on the campaign trail.
"I posted on my campaign page to a couple folks who were going to put out some literature and signs," said Bruce. "I said, 'Hey, come out here and help us clean up.' I thought that was a better use of time."
The cleanup was a team effort by everyone involved, and it made Mike Long especially happy.
However, this cave has been vandalized and trashed for years, and he said he wishes they wouldn't have to put in the effort to clean up the cave on BLM land.
"If it continues to get abused, we risk the BLM capping this cave off so no one can visit," said Long. "It is up to us, it is up to the community, and it’s up to the people that enjoy the cave to take care of the cave."
If you are interested in volunteering with 208 Cleanup, they do a lot of events to clean up trash on public lands. The best way to get in contact with them is through their Facebook page.
