A whopping 50 pounds of chewing gum was removed from under the seats at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in 2023.
The staggering and repulsive figure comes from Friends of Red Rocks, a nonprofit group founded in 1999 to help preserve the natural beauty at the scenic Morrison, CO venue. The group initially formed in response to efforts to transform some of the amphitheater’s greenery into corporate box seats and project sponsors’ logos on the iconic rocks themselves, but when venue director Tad Bowman called for help scraping bubblegum off the venue’s seats, the group sprang into action.
Volunteers spend three hours on the last Saturday of every month helping rangers clean up the park, and after adding gum removal to their list of chores, they realized just how much of a problem the stuff had become as it quickly accumulated by the pound.
“Dried gum doesn’t hardly weigh anything,” volunteer Pia Valeriana said, commenting on the shocking volume of leftover wads.
“Gum is not even permitted inside the amphitheater, but how do you prevent that? People have it in their purses, in their pockets,” she continued. “It’s disrespectful of this natural wonder we want to preserve in its most pristine way. We just want people to be aware, and don’t take this place for granted. This is a unique place.”
Valeriana went on to clarify her stance was not against gum chewing, just littering, adding, “We hope that people will chew responsibly and put it in a paper and not to stick it under the seats.”
Those interested in joining Friends of Red Rocks in their cleanup efforts are encouraged to visit the group’s website and sign up online or just show up to a Saturday cleanup. The group meets in the upper north parking lot on the last Saturday of each month and works from 9:30 a.m. to noon.
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