Granite Point day use area trashed

Closure of the Granite Point day use area on the Snake River upstream from Wawawai was announced May 2 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The closure was made because of health and safety concerns due to vandalism and trash left at the point by a crowd estimated at 300 visitors April 27.

The corps report said enormous amounts of trash, broken bottles, beer cans and personal items were found at the point. A crew collected 800 pounds in an initial cleanup at the site. A dumpster and two pickups were filled.

Also, graffiti was sprayed on several of the rock formations at the point.

Park Ranger Lisa Routhier said the initial task will be to clean up the broken glass and debris.

Signs and barriers have been posted at the closed recreation site.

"I have never seen anything like this ... the vandalism, garbage everywhere ... that isn't something that I could have ever imagined. It's an absolute shame," Jason Achziger, natural resources manager at Lower Granite Dam, said.

He added the corps lacks the personnel to clean up after hundreds of partygoers leave a mess on the scale found at Granite Point.

The corps report did not link the debris to WSU students, but campus officers acknowledged students were at the scene.

Jordan Frost, WSU student body president, commented in a tweet that the conduct at the point was "simply unacceptable and quite frankly embarrassing. Doesn't matter who did it; we should all be ashamed that we treat such a beloved resource so poorly. Step up Cougs, we can do better."

A Youtube video with drone coverage noted the event was an end of 2018 spring semester Cliffs Day Party.

Granite Point is known as "The Cliffs" on campus.

The debris report was similar to a previous corps shutdown a few years ago of an area known as the The Dunes on the Garfield County side of the river. Following those reports, WSU student leaders organized a cleanup of that area.