The Jordan River flows the length of Salt Lake Valley, and like its Palestinian namesake, drains a freshwater lake (Provo Lake) into a terminal salt-water lake (The Great Salt Lake.)

Like most of the world's rivers it has been thoroughly ravaged by thoughtless and destructive human activity. But nevertheless in places it remains today what it was 150 years ago--a cool, lovelygreen tunnel winding quietly through the heart of the largest city in the Intermountain West.

Centered along a migratory bird flyway from Canada to Mexico and fingering out into the vast wetlands along the eastern shoreline of the Great Salt Lake, the Jordan teems with birds and other wildlife.Beaver, muskrat, and powerful, Orca-like carpchurn in its waters, and huge cottonwoods and willowsspread their long arms to touch their fingers fromopposite banks...

But perhaps the most colorful, interesting and impressive of all the wildlife species still found along the river today, are thepeople of Salt Lake City and other communities all up and down the river, who may be found playing, fishing, bird-watching,meditating, jogging, bicycling, boating--and yes, living--on the river.On warm days in early spring, through summer and into fall, hundreds, of themgather in themany city parks along the Jordan River Parkway.

Many of these visitors throw trash into the water. But manyothers participate as volunteers in the annual river cleanup program that is one of the rites of spring.

If you want to watch people as well as wildlife, come to the river cleanup events in spring, summer and fall.