Kayaking and Cleaning the Nashua River

I've had a little bit of spare time, so I've been spending a little more time cleaning up than usual. Last week I went to the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge in Harvard, MA. 

I've switched my set-up a little bit these days. I used to have a laundry basket in the front and have the rear deck clear to carry tires to larger items. Now, most of those large items are gone, so I focus on the ability to carry more trash. A laundry basket in front for recyclables, and a basket in the back for trash seems to do the trick, and save me some time sorting out once back on land.

I paddled downstream to near Rt. 2. While it is only about 3 miles or so, I did manage to fill both baskets, but there was still a bit more to collect. I kept moving and came across an old container like to might use for mail. I made some room on the deck and found I had more capacity for storage. I didn't get every bit of trash between Depot Rd. and Rt. 2, but I did do a pretty good job. One more trip should do it.

Today I went over to the Nashua River on the Pepperell/Groton line. There were a lot of boaters, so that was good to see. I only wanted to spend a couple of hours so I could be back by Noon or so. I paddled back up to where the boathouse is, and then back. 

I was happy there was little trash, only about half a basket. I'm always encouraged when there isn't a lot of new trash. There's always some, but I think when the rivers are clean, people notice and are perhaps a bit more careful. But when they are dirty, no one cares. 

Tsunami Waste Washing Ashore

I often blog about the effort to try to keep the Nashua River clean - at least from trash. I know there are others that put their efforts into keeping the river from further harm by development, chemicals, and wildlife management.
I recently read an article about the waste from Japan's Tsunami washing ashore on the west coast and how the U.S. should "brace" for it. I see it every day I paddle on my local rivers, another plastic bottle, another container of waste oil, another bucket of paint.
I think people lose sight of the fact that every day, your Dunkin Donuts coffee cup, water bottle, or beer can might wash into a basin, into a stream, into a river, and into an ocean. Wake up. I pull huge amounts of waste out of the rivers, most of it is water bottles. How ironic is that?
You have to buy bottled water because the local water isn't clean enough (in your opinion), yet when you choose to recreate at a park, river, or lake, you bring bottled water and throw the empty bottle back in the water you won't drink. Seriously?
Folks, the bottled water industry is a nightmare, top to bottom, left to right, it's bad. The petroleum required to power the plants, make the bottles, and distribute the product is ridiculous. And for what? So we can "look" healthy carrying around a bottle of water? That bottle is leaching chemicals into the water you bought because it is marketed as "pure". That bottle ends up choking out life in rivers, streams, and oceans. Guess what? That water with the cool glacier on the label came from the tap, just like at home. You didn't gain anything, and it cost you more. Test after test proves your tap water is better quality. If you believe your bottled water comes from a spring in some long-forgotten wilderness, you are way off the mark.
My point is this: You are drinking bottled water because you believe the water from your local rivers and lakes is unclean, yet you are throwing those bottles into your local rivers and lakes, this making them unclean. You are the cause and the solution. Stop buying bottled water, it's 100% unnecessary and doesn't make you look cool.

Nashua River - Earth Day

It's been a while since I've posted, but I have still been cleaning up the rivers when I get the opportunity. Earth Day was yesterday, but since I had prior obligations, I went out Saturday morning to my favorite spot - The Nashua River at The Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge.
I loaded the boat with 2 laundry baskets, grabbed my work gloves and headed upstream. I decided to go upstream either as far as I could go or until I thought I would have a full boat, whichever came first.
I made it up to the Bolton Flats area and found both the need to portage and the makings of a full cargo load, so I started loading the boat. I found a number of large plastic items like a sled, some milk crates, and some sort of ride-on toy. After wrapping a bungee, around them I started on the usual bottles and cans.
As I worked my way downstream, I found 2 car tires and rims. While I wouldn't normally overload the boat with 2 tires, 2 full baskets, and some other plastic items, I knew the low water level wouldn't last and some of these things might soon be out of reach.
It made quite a delicate balancing act out of the ride back, but in one trip I filled the rack on the truck and made a nice dent in the amount of debris.
Happy Earth Day!