Walker to Elm Flats Pine River Cleanup 08/23
We were fortunate to have a perfectly comfortable weather day with good river conditions for this cleanup. The river was running near normal for this time of year and the clarity was good for spotting objects on the river bottom.
We had 4 motivated paddlers participate in today’s cleanup. Jacqui Morganstein paddled her kayak, Mark Miltner soloed in his canoe, Wayne Andersen and Leslie Cuppett canoe tandem paddling. This combination was an effective team locating trash along the river. We stopped for a lunch break at the Lincoln Bridge Launch Site.
Today’s collection of litter was the typical cans and plastics except for Mark Miltner reclaiming a spinning rod and reel in great condition. Mark will be giving this rod and reel to his grand daughter so she is ready to enjoy fishing on the river as soon as she learns to cast. I suspect he has previously given her a paddle and canoe to start training soon. Mark is taking great pleasure in corrupting this poor child.
Of the several Pine River Cleanups we have completed this year it is becoming obvious that the people enjoying the Pine River are becoming much better at controlling their litter. I think the liveries on the Pine River and other rivers in Northwest Michigan are requiring their customers to be more environmentally conscious by providing litter bags and explaining the rules of responsible river use. I think the cleanups are also very helpful in reducing the litter in the river and discouraging river users from littering. If no litter is seen in the river, it becomes unacceptable to litter when it isn’t the norm. Thanks to everyone who has participated in a Pine River Cleanup this year or past years. You are changing the culture of those less experienced river users. Also, a thank you to the USFS who supports our cleanups of the Pine River. It truly is a team effort that is making a difference in providing a quality experience on the Pine River.
At this time, we have 2 more cleanups scheduled for 2024 on the Pine River. Tuesday, 08/27 we will be cleaning up from Petersen Bridge to Low Bridge. On Wednesday, 09/04, we will be cleaning up from Skookum Bridge to Walker Bridge. We are hopeful that you will be able to join us on one or both of these trips. Both have 10:00 am start times. This is a great time of year to be on any Michigan River but especially the Pine River.
