Nashua River Oxbow

A few years ago when I started paddling, I found few areas I really liked, one of them was the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge on the Nashua River in Harvard, MA. So I started paddling there on a regular basis and collecting trash and other items which contribute to the pollution of the watershed.

Now, a couple of years later, and probably 10 tons of waste later, you can paddle from the Oxbow Stillriver Depot down to Pepperell without significant waste. In late 2006 and in early 2007, I had it pretty well cleaned up, but the big floods in April caused a lot of waste to be washed downstream and back into the area between the Oxbow and Rte. 119 in Pepperell.

Last weekend I dragged the last tires and propane tank out of the Oxbow. There may still be a few pieces of trash, but not very much. Then I went to the Nashua River at Rte 117 in Bolton. Wow, what a mess!

I spent about 4 hours collecting tires, propane tanks, and other waste, but I never got out of earshot of Rte 117! I literally filled my pickup truck, and really only cleaned about 1,000 yards of river.

That's a tough stretch to clean up. If I go downstream, there are some areas that make the return trip very challenging. A portage is always possible, but when you have a kayak filled with trash, it's not easy to get in and out.

Well it looks like I'll have to make many more trips to that area in order to get it as clean as the Oxbow is now, but hey, it's worth the effort.