Five paddlers (Jocelyn, Kathleen, Kent, Marlene and Mike) braved the beautiful weather to work on the section of the Boardman/Ottaway River between the Shumsky put-in and Beitner landing as part of the 2022 Boardman River Clean Sweep. Because of the roundabout construction on Keystone and River Rds, which complicated running a shuttle, Lois made arrangements with her hairdresser to use her home on the river as a takeout. So our cleanup efforts stopped a little short of the Beitner landing.
There was much less trash in the river than in past years. That is a good sign that river users are helping to protect this wonderful local outdoor resource. The team had to work hard to find things that didn’t belong in the river or along the shore. Fortunately, we had Marlene with us today. She has “eagle eyes”! For about the first hour, she was the only one to spot trash.
Jocelyn found the most colorful “treasure”. It was an orange oriole feeder. Kathleen had the biggest surprise. She saw something white on the bottom in shallow water. It turned out to be a dead fish, but before she realized that, she went to grab it bare handed. She pulled back with a WOW! A large snapping turtle appeared to let her know that the fish was its lunch. She still has all her fingers.
It was a good day and a good group. We shared plenty of laughs. That’s what makes participating in river cleanups such a great pleasure.
Photos by Jocelyn
Marlene, Kathleen, Jocelyn, Mike, and Kent ready to get started.
Kathleen, Mike, Kent at the Shumsky put-int.
Marlene and Mike with a found waterproof case which contained a lighter and curious little smoky block of wood.
Coffee cup Kathleen retrieved back in along the shore.
Gorgeous weather! And the flowers of the day were definitely the Yellow Flag Iris, which are considered invasive
though we love seeing them each year.
Yellow Flag Iris close up. Mike with a haul from back in the bushes.
Jocelyn retrieved an oriole feeder complete with orange still speared.
Fooled by birchbark once again!
Kent and Mike at a take-out at a private home just short of Beitner
which we used in order to avoid the construction on Keystone Road.
Kathleen, Marlene, Mike, Jocelyn, and Kent with the spoils of the expedition.
