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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Outdoors blog

Party trash forces Corps to close Snake recreation area

A photo from an anonymous reader shows a party crowd on the Snake River. (Courtesy)
A photo from an anonymous reader shows a party crowd on the Snake River. (Courtesy)

PUBLIC LANDS -- A popular recreation area along the Snake River southwest of Pullman will not be open for Labor Day because it was trashed last weekend by hard-partying visitors.

Apparently school's in session at WSU.

The Corps of Engineers closed the Illia Dunes after more than 3,000 visitors left broken bottles and beer cans on the beach and littered parking lots with trash, creating health and safety hazards.

The corps says it doesn’t have the resources for such a big cleanup job if visitors can’t pick up after themselves.

The dunes are a popular recreation site with sandy beaches on the south shore of the Snake River about three miles downstream of Lower Granite Lock and Dam



Rich Landers
Rich Landers joined The Spokesman-Review in 1977. He is the Outdoors editor for the Sports Department writing and photographing stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, conservation, nature and wildlife and related topics.

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