Local business takes to the streets to address recurring issues in US city: 'It doesn't matter what political party you're a part of'

A Columbia Falls, Montana, business owner is proving that community pride is contagious and that even small, consistent actions such as a recurring cleanup event can make a visible difference. 

According to a report by local station KPAX, Cody Bauer, the owner of Coyote, a vintage store, has launched a monthly "Coyote Clean-Up Club" to help tackle recurring litter in the city's downtown area while bringing people together. 

"With how everyone is divided right now, I think it's so cool to just bring everyone together on a common goal," Bauer told the news outlet. "It doesn't matter what political party you're a part of, trash is bad."

The effort gathers volunteers on the second Friday morning of each month to pick up trash and clean up the streets. Despite recent cold weather, over a dozen volunteers have participated in the cleanup drive, with Bauer planning to expand their efforts to neighboring cities such as Kalispell. 

Cleanup drives like Coyote's don't just bring people together and keep sidewalks and streets clean. They also have environmental benefits. 

Keeping trash off the streets can reduce the chance it will wash into storm drains and nearby waterways, where debris can harm wildlife and degrade water quality. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has noted that aquatic trash also affects plants and animals, damaging their habitats and causing casualties when marine animals ingest or become entangled in garbage. 

Park cleanups, for example, help improve wildlife habitats and nurture community pride, while beach cleanups help protect coastal ecosystems. 

Aside from these benefits, community-organized cleanup drives like Coyote's empower locals by allowing them to take action and make tangible changes in their community. 

Initiatives such as Bauer's cleanup drive mirror other proactive individual and community efforts to improve local environments. These include efforts to fight plastic pollution in Cairo's "Garbage City" and actions by residents against businesses that pollute communities. 

One reader commented on KPAX-TV's Facebook post on the club, joking that their expectations were pleasantly subverted.

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"Phew! I was afraid the 'Coyote Clean-up Club' was gonna be a bunch of testoster-dudes shooting coyotes from helicopters," they wrote. "Bravo to all the thrifters keeping the 'hood clean."

On the Coyote (@coyotemodern) Instagram page, users reacted positively to the local business's post sharing KPAX-TV's coverage.

"We all need more people, stories and experiences like this. Thanks for such great leadership, Cody! And for covering it @kpaxtv. I can't wait to get us going in Kalispell next month," a commenter wrote. 

"Thank you for this, looking forward to joining in for a clean up!" another responded.

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