Post by gregobrien on Jul 20, 2011 15:29:19 GMT -5
I'm just returning from the 22nd Annual Kitattinny Canoes Delaware River Cleanup. For those that don't know, in 22 years this cleanup has recovered 8,000+ tires, 8,500 pounds of aluminum for recycling, and OVER 400 TONS of trash... the annual expense for Kitattinny Canoes to support the volunteers during the 3-day event comes in at over $30,000 through transportation, food, lodging/campsites, and equipment use.
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.257984664216636.82548.112017302146707&type=1
This was my 6th (?) year with my family and friends at the cleanup trying to keep the headwaters of the Delaware River clean. My crew did about 15 miles... Barryville, NY through Port Jervis, NY covering the beautiful 'staircase' and 'hawksnest' rapids/scenic areas. FYI - paddling rapids is way different with 200# of trash on board while trying to pull ashore for a bottle or can
I personally saw a record number of Bald Eagles this year (12!!). They have made a REMARKABLE recovery on the Northern Delaware over the past decade. ;D
Other crews got down as far the Bushkill/Watergap area, but we were camped out of Barryville so we stayed up river. It is such a large event that they have a 100 participant limit and always turn people away. In the deeper sections, we have a crew of 10 volunteer divers.
I am pleased to say that every year the river gets cleaner. Just 5 years ago each canoe was pulling 3-4 tires out each day... this year my canoe pulled out a single tire in all three days (happily most of the tires are 20-30+ years old and we rarely find newly dumped tires).
We mostly pull out bottles, plastic bags, and cans (general litter); lawns chairs, construction debris, tanks, and tarps (flood related materials); and of course coolers, destroyed canoes, camping gear,etc (recreational gear lost during a capsize).
Always a few head scratchers though... this year I found a 1962 Chevy Powerglide Transmission then a few miles down the river some Chevy Valve covers with a front coil spring (wonder where the rest of the car is?). My happiest find of the 2011 year was a 5 gallon waste oil container in the water that hadn't ruptured yet. It was probably washed into the river during the spring flooding. The Northern Delaware is SO pristine that I was proud to recover the waste-oil before in began leaking.
A few years ago we found a loaded shot gun , the year before that a full 500 gallon propane tank, and the year before that an intact (submerged) handicap accessible port-o-john.
Do any of the local NJ rentals sponsor any cleanups? It's a great event and I would love to see it duplicated in Southern NJ. After all my practice at Kitattinny over the years, I pick up trash whenever in a canoe out of habit, but I find it much harder to cleanup effectively from the small kayaks I use locally these days.
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.257984664216636.82548.112017302146707&type=1
This was my 6th (?) year with my family and friends at the cleanup trying to keep the headwaters of the Delaware River clean. My crew did about 15 miles... Barryville, NY through Port Jervis, NY covering the beautiful 'staircase' and 'hawksnest' rapids/scenic areas. FYI - paddling rapids is way different with 200# of trash on board while trying to pull ashore for a bottle or can
I personally saw a record number of Bald Eagles this year (12!!). They have made a REMARKABLE recovery on the Northern Delaware over the past decade. ;D
Other crews got down as far the Bushkill/Watergap area, but we were camped out of Barryville so we stayed up river. It is such a large event that they have a 100 participant limit and always turn people away. In the deeper sections, we have a crew of 10 volunteer divers.
I am pleased to say that every year the river gets cleaner. Just 5 years ago each canoe was pulling 3-4 tires out each day... this year my canoe pulled out a single tire in all three days (happily most of the tires are 20-30+ years old and we rarely find newly dumped tires).
We mostly pull out bottles, plastic bags, and cans (general litter); lawns chairs, construction debris, tanks, and tarps (flood related materials); and of course coolers, destroyed canoes, camping gear,etc (recreational gear lost during a capsize).
Always a few head scratchers though... this year I found a 1962 Chevy Powerglide Transmission then a few miles down the river some Chevy Valve covers with a front coil spring (wonder where the rest of the car is?). My happiest find of the 2011 year was a 5 gallon waste oil container in the water that hadn't ruptured yet. It was probably washed into the river during the spring flooding. The Northern Delaware is SO pristine that I was proud to recover the waste-oil before in began leaking.
A few years ago we found a loaded shot gun , the year before that a full 500 gallon propane tank, and the year before that an intact (submerged) handicap accessible port-o-john.
Do any of the local NJ rentals sponsor any cleanups? It's a great event and I would love to see it duplicated in Southern NJ. After all my practice at Kitattinny over the years, I pick up trash whenever in a canoe out of habit, but I find it much harder to cleanup effectively from the small kayaks I use locally these days.