Friday, August 13, 2010
Pine River – Lincoln to Dobson Cleanup
Angie Willis, Ian Millar, Karen Mueller, Roseanne Bowman, Bob Fitch, Lois Goldstein, and John Heiam joined forces to clean the Pine River on a hot muggy day. A free shuttle and a free tandem canoe were provided by Pine River Paddlesports Center (PRPC). Bob and John paddled the tandem, and everybody else was in kayaks. The U.S. Forest Service supplied free watercraft and vehicle permits.
Here the group is waiting for our shuttle to arrive. It is not true that you have to buy a Subaru once you are a member.
It was Ian’s first trip to the Pine and he remarked that it was the cleanest river he had ever seen; that was before we picked up the trash. I think several factors contribute to the river’s lack of trash:
- The U.S. Forest Service now requires all liveries to provide canoes with a trash bag secured to the canoe.
- Because of the efforts of PRPC and the TAPC, the river starts out clean; so people notice and are careful with their trash.
We found a few cans and plastic bottles floating in eddies, but most of our trash came from getting out of our boats and crawling around on log jams – not for the faint of heart!
We also enjoyed getting into the river to pull cans and bottles off the bottom. We found one very large athletic shoe complete with cleats. We wondered what went through the guy’s mind when he decided cleated shoes would make appropriate river shoes? There were a few memorable quotes heard during the day. My favorite came from Bob Fitch. He had gotten out of the canoe to retrieve a can and he remarked that the bottom was “nice and firm, - I used to say that about this girl I knew in high school”. Later in the day Lois asked me who was a better bow paddler, Bob or her? I replied that Bob was stronger, but she had more finesse – another marriage saved by a tactful response!
By the end of the day we had filled seven large bags with trash - enough to make us feel that the trip was worthwhile. This sure was a great way to spend a hot day! The next Pine cleanup is only two weeks away and we would love to have you join us for that one!
Submitted by John Heiam