Volunteer for our rivers

• IRU Volunteers will be assigned a section on the Boise River to clean that is covered as water flows increase on the Boise River.

• Volunteers must be willing to drive from the meeting spot at Barbarian Brewing in Garden City to their assigned location, and then transport their trash back to Barbarian Brewing to be weighed. 

• We are joining Boise River Enhancement Network's cleanup for a group called Beers, Cheers, and Volunteers. 

• Following the cleanup, we invite you to join us for a social hour at Barbarian Brewing with BREN & the Beers, Cheers, and Volunteers

We will provide all the cleanup supplies, but as always volunteers are welcome to bring their own.

Click HERE to sign up!

We're thrilled to invite you to our 2026 Volunteer Appreciation Party to celebrate YOU and all the incredible work you've done for Idaho's rivers! Join us for an evening of fun, camaraderie, and well-deserved recognition.

• When: Thursday, March 19th, 6:00-8:00 PM

• Where: White Dog Brewing | 705 W Fulton Street, Boise, ID, 83702

• What to expect: Complimentary drinks, appetizers, giveaways, and a chance to connect with your fellow volunteers & IRU staff

• Who can attend: IRU Volunteers, and each volunteer is welcome to bring one guest! It's not required, but why not make it a fun duo? Bring along a friend, family member, or colleague who might be interested in joining our incredible volunteer community or learning more about IRU. Plus, all ages are welcome to White Dog Brewing, so even our under-21 volunteers can join in on the fun.

Email lindsey@idahorivers.org by March 9th to RSVP!

We invite you, your family, friends, and coworkers to join us on April 11, 2026, from Noon to 2 PM to help us remove debris from the Boise River! IRU's River Ambassadors will be hosting stations across the Treasure Valley greenbelt, expanding from Boise to Eagle, Idaho. At each station, we will provide you with the needed supplies to pick-up trash along the Boise River, including maps, trash bags, and gloves. As always, volunteers are more than welcome to bring their own supplies. 

This event will take place rain or shine! 

Starting Locations

• Garden City Library (6015 N Glenwood St, Garden City, ID) 

• Reid Merrill Park Greenbelt (637 E Shore Dr, Eagle, ID) 

• Idaho River Sports (601 N Whitewater Park Blvd, Boise, ID) 

• Cascade River Gear (604 E 45th St, Garden City, ID) 

• Idaho Rivers United's Office (3380 W Americana Terrace, Boise, ID) 

• Kristin Armstrong Municipal Park ( 500 S Walnut St., Boise, ID)

To join us for this fun, family-friendly event, please fill out this form by April 7, 2026.

If you are joining with a group, business, or organization, please complete this form and let us know how many will be joining you. Please note that every individual in your group must complete IRU's 2026 volunteer waiver.

E-mail any questions to our Volunteer and Engagement Manager, Lindsey. 

Idaho Rivers United's Boise River Stewards (BRS) program is a self-guided volunteer opportunity designed to create stronger advocates for the Boise River through stewardship, education, citizen science, and community engagement. The data collected through the BRS program is used to create IRU's Boise River Report Card. 

As a river steward, you are required to complete one water quality survey and three activities that contribute to the overall health of the Boise River watershed. River Stewardship activites include, but are not limited to, self-led riverbank cleanups, additional water quality surveys, and joining for an outreach opportunity to share information about the health of the Boise River and the BRS program. 

Boise River Stewards are required to attend a mandatory, in-person training on April 23rd from 5:30-7:30PM at Idaho Rivers United office located at 3380 W Americana Terr STE 140, Boise, ID 83702. Our training will provide you with the essential knowledge and tools need to successfully complete the BRS program, as well as a provide an overview on the history of the Boise River and current issues affecting its watershed. 

Notes: 

• Boise River Stewards and parents/guardians joining with stewards under the age of 16 must complete our volunteer waiver found here. 

• This program is open to all ages, but any river steward under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult or guardian during all river stewardship activities, this includes but is not limited to all trainings, river clean-ups, and events. 

• We highly encourage families to join the Boise River Stewardship program, and have adapted the program so that families can work as a team to complete the stewardship requirements listed above, meaning as a family you'll need to complete a water quality survey, and three activities that benefit the Boise River. 

Sign up to join the program by April 6, 2026!

Email any questions to our Volunteer & Engagement Manager, Lindsey Paynter. 

This program is dedicated to helping Idaho Rivers United maintain our adopted section of the Boise River Greenbelt.

Our adopted section of the greenbelt runs through the heart of downtown Boise from Capitol Boulevard to Broadway Avenue. Our section is a highly used area of the Boise greenbelt — in 2025, our volunteers removed nearly 500 pounds of trash from our adopted section. The volunteer support for this program has grown exponentially, and as our volunteer team grows, it is our goal to increase our efforts to neighboring sections of the greenbelt.

If you are passionate about the health of the Boise River, we encourage you to join us for an Adopt-the-Greenbelt cleanup.

Adopt-the-Greenbelt Volunteer Sign Up Form

Sign-up form coming soon, please email our Volunteer & Engagement Manager at lindsey@idahoriver.org to be added to an email list for more information regarding this cleanup.

Join Idaho Rivers United in the beautiful valley of Stanley, Idaho to celebrate the 900-mile journey that salmon and steelhead take to spawn in the headwaters of the Sawtooth Mountains. We are looking for some salmon-loving volunteers to help us promote the importance of this great migration and salmon conservation during the Sawtooth Salmon Festival!

This event is important to highlight the need to protect Idaho salmon and our team has decided to expand this festival into a weekend long celebration with speakers, panels, concerts, and so much more. We are going to be relying on our volunteers more than ever for this event and you are critical to the success of this event -- as a volunteer you will help us create a fun, educational, and positive atmosphere for our festival attendees! 

Festival dates: Aug. 28-29th

Festival location: Stanley, ID and the surrounding Sawtooth Valley

Volunteer Activities (include but are not limited to): 

• Event set-up & tear down

• Helping Vendors, musicians, and festival staff

• Assisting with Salmon Redd Tours

• Hospitality

• Green Team

• And so much more!

Eligibility: Must be at least 16 years of age (volunteers under 18 will need a waiver competed by a parent or guardian). We are unable to provide transportation or accommodations, so please be sure to plan your logistics accordingly. 

Mountain Village is offering in-town camping sites for IRU volunteers for the weekend.

Volunteer sign-up opening March 2026!

Questions? Contact our Volunteer Manager at lindsey@idahorivers.org

Sign-up form coming soon, please email our Volunteer & Engagement Manager at lindsey@idahoriver.org to be added to an email list for more information regarding this cleanup.

Application for Boise River Clean-ups for Businesses, Organizations, & Groups

• Please check out our available clean-up dates for our Adopt-the-Greenbelt program and the list of clean-ups led by our stewards in our Urban River Stewards program. If none of these dates work for your organization please submit an application. 

• The IRU team will review applications in January, March, June, and September. We will select 1-2 organizations depending on staff availability and notify you if your organization has been selected by phone or email. If your organization is selected each volunteer attending the clean-up will need to complete an IRU volunteer waiver.

• These programs take staff time and financial resources to host. If selected, we kindly request that your business or organization makes a financial contribution to help cover the cost and support our programs.  

Our Boise River Steward Ambassadors are required to organize and host two community riverbank cleanups during the 2026 program from April-October.

BRS Ambassadors select the location, time, and date for their cleanup and invite you to volunteer with them to remove debris from the banks of the Boise River. All cleanup supplies will be provided by Idaho Rivers United, but you are welcome to bring your own.

Check back soon for 2026 dates!

Join Idaho Rivers United, 94.9 The River, and Idaho River Sports for our Annual End of Float Season Cleanup!

We're inviting 250 volunteers to join us and help clean the Boise River from Barber Park to the Garden City Library. Volunteer's efforts will have a massive impact, helping keep the Boise River clean and healthy for all.

This event isn't just a cleanup—it's a party! After all the hard work, stick around for a community celebration and afterparty hosted by 94.9 The River and Idaho River Sports. We'll have vendors, delicious food trucks, refreshing shaved ice, lively music, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and trash themed games. Plus, as a thank you for your hard work, all volunteers will be entered into a raffle for some great prizes!

Sign ups open July 2026!

IRU staff’s ambitions are big, but we are a small crew and often require office help from our amazing volunteer team. If you are interested in helping IRU with various administrative tasks around the office, this is the role for you!

Email our Volunteer and Engagement Manager to learn more at lindsey@idahorivers.org.