Eleven paddlers volunteered to come out on a beautiful early fall day to clean up the Pine River between Dobson and Peterson Bridge. They were: John Heiam, Lois Goldstein, John Walton, Mariah Walton, Jacqui Morgenstein, Wayne Andersen, Tom Lipps, Donna Steinebach, Sue and Gerry Wilgus, and Marlene Puska. Unfortunately, Mark Miltner was not able to join us today, but he did provide us with three kayaks and a tandem canoe, as well as a free shuttle.
John H. gave Mark an old PFD he can use when doing safety work on the Pine
The weather was stunning all day, with a touch of fall in the air.
This is the sign that Mark had made to welcome us; we feel appreciated!
People in back: John W, Marlene, Wayne, Tom, Donna, Susan, Gerald
In front: Jacqui, Lois, John H, Mariah (and Piper the dog)
Even with eleven skilled trash pickers in ten boats, after the first hour we had practically no trash! Soon it became evident that the only trash to be found was deep inside large logjams. John H. tried walking on one logjam while spearing full cans pinned between logs. Unfortunately he got sprayed with the contents of one Bud Light lemonade flavored with dark cherry. Who drinks that stuff? Who even thinks up those flavors?
By the time we finished at 2:30 PM, we had one large garbage bag filled with assorted beer cans, water bottles, flip-flops, and one old wallet that had been in the river for years. By this evening, Lois had talked to the owner (she found him via Facebook) and is mailing him his expired driver’s license, a debit card and a 2018 fishing license. He lost it while swimming in the Pine five years ago!
We were trying to get Piper to look at the camera while we posed with our bag of trash.
