Pine River Cleanup – 09/18/2024 – Low Bridge to Norman Township Boat Launch
Today’s enthusiastic cleanup crew consisted of Marlene Puska, Loretta Pickford, Leslie Cuppet,
Mark Miltner, Mark’s brother Mike and sister-in-law Betty from California and Wayne
Andersen. Marv Puska, Shuttler extraordinaire provided shuttle and support for the crew.
Three canoes and 2 kayaks were utilized.
We were fortunate to have very favorable weather and water conditions for today’s Pine River
Cleanup. Air temperature in the low 80’s. Water temperature comfortable for wading. The river
was running below 200 cfs which is below normal for this time of year. A bright sun and low,
clear water helped spotting the numerous cans on the bottom of the river.
This section of the river isn’t utilized by many paddlers. I had paddled this section of river a
few years ago and noted the large number of cans on the bottom of the river. To our
knowledge this is the first cleanup for this section of the Pine River. There was very little litter
besides the numerous cans on the bottom of the river. I haven’t participated in a cleanup that
resulted in so many cans being removed from the river. The age of most of the cans was
noticeable. I suspect that many of the cans have been in the river for years being pushed
downstream by the current to collect in this area of the river.
This is an interesting area of the Pine River. Low Bridge Access being the furthest downstream
access site on the Pine River. The river isn’t characteristic of the upper sections of the Pine
River. It is wide and shallow with some deeper holes among the long areas of shallow water.
The river braids before entering the Tippy Dam Backwaters providing some interesting habitat
in the delta area of the river. The islands between the river channels are heavily vegetated with
willow, tag alder, cattails and other native vegetation. Unfortunately, there were a few stands
of invasive phragmites. A family group of Trumpeter Swans with 2 adults and 6 juveniles
occupied a sandy shoreline. This area supports other wildlife, waterfowl and animals.
Another interesting feature of this section of river is passing under Cooley Bridge that carries
Highway 55 traffic over the river. The view from below the bridge gives a true perspective of
the length and height of the bridge span.
An open water paddle on the Tippy Dam Backwaters to reach the Norman Township Boat
Launch on the west shoreline completes the trip. This Launch site is maintained by Norman
Township providing adequate parking and good loading area.
The total trip was 4.09 miles which we completed in 2 hours and 40 minutes with no
unplanned swims or difficulties. Another Fantastic Day on the Pine River!