WENDELL - Amanda Revels said she was appalled to learn that the Wendell Cemetery refurbishes flowers for use by other visitors. A couple of years back, she brought flowers to place on her daughter's grave only to find out that someone had taken them.

"I'm upset and think it is wrong they are taking flowers that don't belong to them. I got those flowers for my daughter's grave and nobody should take them," Revels said.

Problems with the appearance of the cemetery is another complaint heard recently by the cemetery board, but its chairman, Harry Surplus, says everything is on the up and up.

Improvements include new flower beds and grass along the entrance to the cemetery, which should be complete by next Memorial Day.

"We certainly don't sell used flowers and are doing all we can to keep up the appearance of the cemetery. We recently finished a project to pipe in the irrigation ditches running through the cemetery and are working to fill in the pond," Surplus said.

That isn't to say the cemetery isn't recycling flowers from the previous year's Memorial Day. In fact, they keep whatever is salvageable and put it in storage. At any time, people can come and claim what is theirs, say cemetery officials.

Cemetery sexton Paul Isaacson explained that the artificial flowers reused are those left at the cemetery long after they are supposed to be picked up.

More often than not, live flowers left on graves die and are discarded. Artificial bouquets are usually caught by wind and tossed about the 12-acre cemetery. Those that are in good shape are placed in a box.

"It's not like we are taking flowers off the grave and selling them," Isaacson said. "On Memorial Day, we have a hospitality booth with cookies, punch, coffee and historical information. The flowers there are given away to people who can't afford to buy any. They are the ones that blow off the grave or aren't picked up. According to cemetery rules and regulation, any decorations brought for Memorial Day are supposed to be picked up by the following Monday."

The practice of letting others take unclaimed flowers is one that the West End Cemetery District of Buhl allows, as well.

"We can't store them all year, but we place the decorations in an area so visitors can take and reuse. The ones that are still left are usually taken to the dump," clerk Michelle Pato said. "We encourage families to come and pick up their decorations."

Other cemeteries simply discard or burn leftover floral arrangements and decorations.

"We don't have any regulations or anything, but decorations and flowers put on the graves for Memorial Day are supposed to be claimed by the following Monday. Usually, we have five to nine truckloads full of live and artificial flowers and decorations," said Dan Olmstead, sexton for the Minidoka Acequia Rupert Cemetery. "Those are dumped in a pile and people can come out and take what they want. After a few weeks, because we simply don't have the room to store it all, we take whatever is left to the landfill."

Both the Twin Falls Cemetery and neighboring Sunset Memorial Park just throw away unclaimed items.

"Families have paid for those flowers and decorations. They aren't ours to give away to anyone else," said Courtney Bugoyne, office manager for Sunset Memorial Park.

Times-News correspondent Blair Koch can be reached at blairkoch@gmail.com or 316-2607.