Posted July 13, 2006

The Trash Man

Mike Slevin of West Yellowstone, Montana, can be considered a one-man wrecking crew.

But instead of tearing down buildings, he's breaking up rocks, cutting up trees, repairing trails, and hauling away trash for the good of ATVers in Montana's Gallatin National Forest.

"The Forest Service and I identified over 170 miles of trails and roads that could use some of" our attention, Slevin said.

In the summer of 2004, he spent 56 days and more than 260 hours of time cleaning and clearing, as well as doing repairs.

"During this time I gathered over 1,800 pounds of heavy trash, including snowmobile parts, auto parts, tires, and even a Chevy engine," he said. "Then there were 62 full 45-gallon trash bags of everything else: beverage containers, clothing, food containers, shot-up boxes and other targets, and discarded camping gear," he said.

"I also did some trail repairs, filling in ruts that were dangerous, breaking up rocks that stuck out into the trails causing injuries to several people I knew and others I didn't know," he said. "After windy storms I did tree clearings of trails to help keep people on the trails and not make new trails to get around," he said.

Slevin undertook a similar Herculean effort in 2005, and planned to continue in 2006.

He has a pull-behind trailer for his ATV. Expenses include a second set of tires for the trailer and trash cans, gas, and tools for trail repairs.

Slevin calls his effort the Trail Trash Recovery and Recycling Project. He hopes his effort will inspire others to also get involved to clean and care for trails in the national forests.

You can contact Slevin at: P.O. Box 1199, West Yellowstone, MT 59758.

© 2006, All Terrain Vehicle Association