13 paddlers did the second annual NCF downtown river cleanup and 3 TAPC members staffed the club display in the "Green Energy Tent". Our display was very nice and professional looking. Lois and John staffed the booth from 9 AM to 4 PM. They met a lot of nice people but didn't feel their efforts will bring in many (if any) new club members. Here they are with a donation from Mark & Val Miltner (owners of Pine River Paddlesports Center) to the Northern Michigan Adaptive Paddling Program.
The cleanup got off to a good start with a thunder shower just missing Traverse City. But the paddlers braved the weather and were treated to a cool and breezy day that turned warm and breezier. Fortunately, we had permission to park at the Holiday Inn, thanks to Steve Somers. Nancy Thornton loaned us a trailer that allowed 4 paddlers to not have to do a shuttle thus not needing to park downtown.
We found some very difficult items to retrieve but we got several of them. Encrusted tires, long pieces of re-bar, steel parts from the old TC Iron Works, traffic cones in 8 feet of water, a lawn chair, soaked sleeping bags, blankets, and 4 large leaf bags of trash under a bridge. It was going to end up in the river, so we got it before it did.
The group got spread out way too much and we were not able to get pictures of everyone except at the beginning of the trip. But we had fun and Judy got so excited to find a rubber ducky. She took it home and placed it on a silver tray on the dining room table as a centerpiece. We are so happy for her.
I don't know why doing cleanups is so much fun but it sure is nice to see the river after it has been cleaned.
I hope we all can do it again next year.
Norm