.RiverGirl

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Come on down, take a dip and have a swingin' good time! This picture was taken on a walk along the Boise River Greenbelt. Until the 1960s, the river and its banks served as a convenient dumping ground for trash, industrial waste and raw sewage and was severely degraded by years of neglect. In 1964 the city hired a consultant who suggested that the city acquire land along the Boise River to create a continuous "green belt" of public lands stretching the entire length of the community. Soon, a local grassroots effort to clean up the waterway and create public access to the river corridor began to take hold. This vision caught on and in 1966 and 1967 three small parcels of land were donated to the city to launch this "green belt." The City of Boise continued to slowly piece together a patchwork of land along the corridor using several methods of acquisition including purchase, exchange, leasing and receiving donations of property by individuals, civic groups and corporations. Today, the 25-mile greenbelt is place to where many locals recreate and enjoy the beauty of nature.