8 Idaho Teens Turn Their Viral Summer Account Into a Mission to Clean Up the Boise River

August 18, 2026

A group of Idaho teenagers started the summer hoping to make memories together. Along the way, they built a massive following online and discovered a way to use that platform to give something back to the community they love.

In May 2025, the group of Treasure Valley high school and college students created an Instagram account called 208 Boys to document their summer adventures.

Their videos showed them doing the kinds of things they enjoyed most: spending time outdoors, exploring Idaho and, as Austin Drake put it, “doing flips off bridges and just being outdoors.”

They originally had no idea how far the account would go.

“We started it with the mere goal of 10k followers,” Caleb Slee said. “We didn't even think we were going to hit that.”

Instead, the account grew to nearly 200,000 followers.

But their biggest impact came from something much less glamorous than their usual adventures.

While spending time in the Boise River, the friends began diving underwater to see what they could find. They were hoping to spot fish or discover things like sunglasses and watches.

What they found instead was a staggering amount of trash.

“There was a lot of cans and cases of beer,” Drake said. “It's pretty upsetting to see.”

Landon Jones, who had spent much of his life around the river, was surprised by what they discovered.

“I didn't even know how much trash was on the river,” he said.

Rather than simply complaining about it, the friends decided to do something.

They began collecting the garbage themselves and shared a video of their cleanup efforts on their Instagram account.

The response was immediate.

The video took off, attracting thousands of likes, shares and comments from people thanking the teenagers for taking care of their community.

“We didn't realize it would take off,” Slee said. “I was really surprised by all the support we got from our community.”

And the attention didn't make them stop. It made them want to keep going.

The boys returned to the river day after day, continuing to remove trash and encourage others to do the same.

For Slee, the cleanup was personal. He has lived in Boise his entire life and says the river holds a special place in his heart.

“The Boise River means a lot to me,” he said. “We're here almost every day in the summer using it so we really want to give back.”

The friends now hope their followers will join them in protecting the place they enjoy so much.

Their message is simple: Have fun, but take responsibility for your own trash.

“Have integrity while you are floating,” they said. “Don't let someone else deal with it, take care of it yourself. And take care of the river that we love.”

What started as a group of friends trying to capture a memorable summer has turned into something much bigger.

The 208 Boys discovered that a social media following can be more than a place to collect likes. It can be a way to inspire people, bring attention to a problem and make a real difference in the community.

“We just can't believe where we are at today,” Slee said. “It's really a true gift from God, we are so grateful for it.”