Idyllwild has always had an influx of snow-play visitors every winter. Families from far and wide flock to the mountains for snowball fights, sledding and snowman building. It brings tourism and a lot of smiles to the town. However, in recent times it seems the snow players have increased, and while there are positives to that, it’s also bringing a negative — lots of trash.

Some community members have taken it upon themselves to volunteer to pick up trash that is left behind, including the Rotary Club of Idyllwild, Jay Mulder, and 28-year-resident Sarah Grace.

Grace has never volunteered her time to pick up trash in the past, but with the increase in visitors, she decided she wanted to help out where she could.

“Just after the snow play, there was trash everywhere and I got tired of looking at it,” Grace said. “I figured if I wore proper gloves and didn’t touch my face, it will probably be OK — also wash really well afterward, concerning COVID-19.”

For a couple of weeks, Grace has been cleaning up as much as she can in between her work schedule. Once she made the decision to start picking up trash, she decided to reach out to others in the community on Facebook.

“I was thinking, maybe others will be able to help, so I posted on three community sites and it kind of exploded,” Grace said. “I had people stopping their car to talk to me while I was picking up trash, asking if I was the Sarah Grace from Facebook. It was really awesome to see that I inspired people possibly to make the hill clean!”

According to Grace, in just three days she gathered eight large trash bags full of trash and broken sleds. She cleaned from Mountain Center to Pine Cove, hitting the highways and popular snow-play streets like Saunders Meadow Road and Cedar Glen Drive. She also picked up trash in the center of Idyllwild and at multiple businesses around town.

This is the first time Grace has been so proactive picking up trash. Being a long-term resident, she feels there is more trash this year than in years past.

“It really seems like this year in particular with the restrictions, everything to-go and major areas closed due to COVID-19, it’s like an avalanche of compounding problems. Idyllwild area was out of their element for how to handle this much garbage.”

With Idyllwild’s small infrastructure, it doesn’t take much for it to be overrun.

While Idyllwild appreciates the tourism, Grace reminds visitors to please pick up after themselves.

“Please be considerate and properly throw away your garbage into proper trash receptacles or pack out what you pack in,” Grace said. “Leaving it behind on the street endangers wildlife, children and the environment. You have to be the change you want to see in the world.”