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.