Campers left a folkin' mess at the city's popular festival site earlier this month.

A city representative says the city will work with organizations to clarify clean-up roles and encourage people to be conscientious about littering after a load of garbage was left in a pile adjacent to the Folk on the Rocks site and was still sitting there as of July 23.

The mess had been cleaned up as of yesterday.

For at least a full week after the end of the festival, which ran July 15 and 16, empty beer and soda cases, red solo cups, cigarettes, plastic containers, paper scraps and a dismantled metal chair were scattered in the sandy area near the parking lot.

The area is not an official campground, according to Folk on the Rocks president Ryan Fequet, although a number of tents were pitched there during festival weekend.

Nailed to a tree not far away from the garbage, a sign with a raven painted on it reads: 鈥淩espect the land, air and water.鈥�

鈥淲e want people to enjoy the outdoors, but they have to be respectful of the areas as well,鈥� said Brian Kelln, programs manager in the community services department at the City of Yellowknife.

With every big event hosted in town, he said, the city works with groups to ensure waste is cleaned up, providing things like garbage cans to get it done.

鈥淭hen it鈥檚 up to that organization to get volunteers to clean the site,鈥� he said, adding they are usually given about a week to 10 days. 鈥淲e work with the team so that they know what their responsibilities are and where we can help.鈥�
Fequet said Monday that Folk on the Rocks volunteers were still cleaning up their site, but that only the property within the green fence is the organization鈥檚 responsibility.

鈥淎nything outside the green fence is solely the city鈥檚 land,鈥� said Fequet, adding he was planning to be in touch with the city about the garbage.

鈥淭he city鈥檚 always responded to that pretty timely,鈥� he said.

Folk on the Rocks volunteers spend a lot of time cleaning the site, even doing things like sifting sand for glass so people don鈥檛 cut their feet, according to Fequet.

鈥淲e definitely take a lot of time and effort, because that鈥檚 a very important part of our festival, is the environmental responsibility,鈥� he said.

Kelln said the city would address the problem and added encouraging people to be respectful of the environment requires ongoing education.

鈥淭he big message is it鈥檚 not one team, it鈥檚 everybody that has to make a difference,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e do our best to go around and keep our city clean because we鈥檙e proud of our community and 鈥� we need everybody鈥檚 help to change everybody鈥檚 thoughts about littering.鈥�