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(Boise) – Employees of Idaho Department of Lands (IDL), along with an Ada County Sheriff’s work detail, recently cleaned up a 31-acre parcel of endowment trust land east of Boise near Highway 21 and Gowen Road. The site, formerly the KOA campground, had been littered with debris left behind by squatters and illegal dumping.
Abandoned tires, mattresses, and other garbage piled up on the property, forcing IDL to spend more than $8,000 on cleanup and protective measures—funds that should have supported Idaho’s school children. The cleanup effort took several days and required multiple dump-trailer loads to remove the waste.
Endowment lands generate revenue for beneficiaries, in this case, the Public School Endowment.
“Most Idahoans appreciate this mission, as well as the opportunity to recreate on endowment lands,” said IDL Director Dustin Miller. “When a few bad actors cause problems, we are forced to take action, and in this case, limit access.”
To prevent further issues, IDL has installed concrete barriers around the property to restrict vehicle access while still allowing foot traffic. New signage reinforces the prohibition on camping and dumping.
 Load of trash headed for the land fill, photo by Ruth Luke
 Ada County Sheriff Work Crew, photo by Ruth Luke
 Pile of junk to be loaded in the trailer, photo by Ruth Luke
 Some of the medical waste collected, photo by Ruth Luke
 Concrete barriers being moved into place, photo by Ruth Luke
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