Thousands Of Pounds Of Used Tires Dumped In National Forest

SALIDA, Colo. (CBS4) - National Forest rangers are asking for the public's help to identify the person or persons who may have dumped 2,000 pounds of used tires along a mountain road. A ranger on patrol came across the pile on Dec. 3.

It's thought the incident was a day or two old by the time it was discovered.

"By far, this is the largest tire dump," District Ranger Jim Pitts of the Salida Ranger District told CBS4. "Usually, it's one or two tires and it's easy to pick up. But this is not normal."

It is illegal to dump personal property on U.S. Forest Service lands, and rangers want to know who did it.

"I would think this would be something somebody saw."

Pitts said rangers are enlisting the help of Chaffee County to clean up the mess. A dump truck from the county will be used to haul the tires to a landfill.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Salida Ranger District.

On Tuesday morning, Gov.-elect Jared Polis commented on the story on Facebook saying "We all have a responsibility to the public lands we share. We can't tolerate this type of abuse."