The project summary: A follow-up to our brainstorming session with the Ocean Conservancy

After our conference call with Sonya and Katherine at the Ocean Conservancy back in March, they asked whether we’d be willing to provide a written overview of our project. They thought having it might help them explain geotrashing and the rest of our project to people who work on the Ocean Conservancy’s “International Coastal Cleanup” team.

Truth be told, we found their interest a bit gratifying. After all, even though our first major clean-up campaign occurred more than 14 years ago, Julie and I are relative newbies to the cause. Having the interest of an organization like the Ocean Conservancy, in a way, validates some of our work. So we did our best to hastily draft a report. (Perhaps a bit too hastily… please forgive any typos you discover!)

Since then, we have shared copies of the Project Summary with several people familiar with our project. One of those recipients was Kris Stepenuck, coordinator of the WAV program for the University of Wisconsin Extension Service and the Wisconsin DNR. She responded by asking if she could post it at the program’s web site. We agreed… so if you’d like to download a PDF copy of the overview, you can click here. (Warning: It is 8 MB, due to intense use of photography.) The document is designed to be read from the screen, rather than be printed; it provides the reader with a set of links to gain more information about any topic mentioned.

Writing the report was a healthy exercise, because it helped us realize how far we’ve come in a relatively short time. But it was helpful for another reason: While we’ve kept a chronicle of our activities at this blog, the nature of blogging means the reader will read everything backwards… the most recent posting is the first thing you see. Writing a project summary forced us to put everything back into chronological order. (So, “in case you’ve just joined us,” it’s a great way to get caught up on this project!) Click here to open.

-Mike


© 2008 Mike D. Anderson, Crystal, MN.

Sharing ideas for inland water restoration with the Ocean Conservancy

Back in January, Paul Nordell from the Minnesota DNR encouraged me to get in touch with several organizations, and let them know about our river restoration strategies. He was an early supporter of our project, and thought others would be interested by our approach, too.

We took Paul's advice, and did hear back from several groups. One of the most fascinating: the Ocean Conservancy. Specifically, I was invited to participate in a conference call with Sonya Besteiro and Katherine Sherman; they were hoping to hear more about our approach to geo-tagging large scale objects and oversized debris fields (aka “Geotrashing”).

Sonya is the Manager, and Kate is the Project Coordinator, for the organizations’ annual International Coastal Cleanup. Every September, volunteers “storm the beaches,” intent on removing trash and debris from coastal areas and waterways. Don’t let the reference to “coastal” fool you… the group boasts “project coordinators” in all fifty states, as well as five U.S. territories. And the word “International” is used with merit: The organization has a presence in 127 countries around the globe... and volunteers in 76 different countries participated in the 2007 cleanup. The effort resulted in the removal of more than 6 million pounds of trash.

One of the challenges (these are my words, not theirs): When all those volunteers show up, you don’t want them wasting time trying to figure out where their help is needed. Instead, you want those volunteers going right to work, removing pollution… not heading off on a scavenger hunt, unsure of where their effort will do the most good. As you can imagine, a successful clean-up involving this many people requires some exhaustive scouting work in advance... and thousands of these events occur simultaneously with each of the annual ICC events!

It was my pleasure to explain how we’ve been using digital photography and GPS tools to inventory the pollution problems here in Minnesota. Deploying this same approach, casual beach-combers, kayakers, boaters or hikers could begin to record where pollution problems exist… and a library could be created, offering the reconnaissance necessary to put the right number of volunteers in the right places to solve the most important problems. Maintaining such a catalog of "debris targets" could make the deployment of manpower more efficient and effective.

It was a delightful and intense conversation; these things happen when passionate people of like minds are focused on problems like ocean and river restoration. Sonya and Kate are remarkable people working for what I’ve come to realize is an amazing organization. I only hope our brainstorming session and subsequent dialogue will be as helpful to them as it was enlightening for me.

One of the wonderful byproducts of our conversation with the Ocean Conservancy is learning of the group’s presence right here in Minnesota. Sarah Erickson is the Director of Education at the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth… and she is also the project coordinator for the International Coastal Cleanup here in the land of lakes. I’ve already had one brief email exchange with Sarah, and know she’ll be a great resource.

Julie and I feel privileged to share ideas with folks like Sarah, Katherine and Sonya. As we indicated in a recent posting at DisposeOfProperly.com, inland behaviors can have a profound impact on estuaries and oceans which wait far downstream. Gradually, we hope to grow our body of knowledge about the relationship between inland waters and the saltwater seas they're flowing into... at a site which serves as a companion to this blog, called http://cleanupthecoast.com/.

© 2008 Mike D. Anderson, Crystal, MN.

One (Earth) Day Isn't Enough

One of the best things to ever happen to the planet: Earth Day. According to Wikipedia, Earth Day was born in the Pacific Northwest back in 1969, with the idea of promoting conservation, preservation and care for the planet. With its’ early roots on college campuses, “Earth Day” is a bellwether event in bringing environmental issues to the front of the world’s newspapers and to the forefront of peoples’ minds.

Park systems, public service groups and activist organizations of all kinds get involved in Earth Day. It is a very good thing.

One of the worst things to ever happen to the planet: The day after Earth Day. An unfortunate byproduct of Earth Day is that, for some, it can create the illusion that a single day of stewardship is sufficient. That 1/365th of our time should be devoted to “supporting the cause” of environmental awareness or action. It's great that folks come out and volunteer... but it would be tragic if that single day of effort were to leave anyone with a false sense of accomplishment, or the idea that one day per year might be adequate to clean-up what needs cleaning.

Pardon my brief rant. And please don’t mistake the intentions of my remarks. It is important to celebrate Earth Day, and I’ll be doing it, too. But I encourage anyone and everyone to elevate their Earth Day frame of mind… to a lifetime of care and commitment.

© 2008 Mike D. Anderson, Crystal, MN.

High (water) marks for the USGS

It’s been a long winter, and we’re eager to get on the water to begin cleaning. Julie and I took a drive to the park where one of our surveys had revealed a lot of debris, in the hope of figuring out whether it would be possible to organize a clean-up for Earth Day.

It was not to be. The spring rains and snowmelt runoff leaves the Mississippi River too high for safe recovery efforts. The high water leaves literally no riverbank to walk… only a ledge that would put people at risk of falling into very cold and fast moving water.

So I went home and hit the web, with the goal of comparing the river level from September 29, 2007 (the date we surveyed this part of the river) to the river level this week. I found most of my answers at the US Geological Survey. But the web site only provided historic discharge (which is the volume of water moving through the river). I could not find a historic record of water level… which is what I was after. So I found a phone number for the USGS office in Mounds View, and was connected with Eric Wakeman. Within just a few minutes, Eric was able to provide me with precisely the 2007 annual watermarks I needed.

This is a valuable resource! Now, I can check-in to see the real-time river levels at USGS.gov… and compare the water depth today to that of the survey date. In other words, I’ll know when the water has receded far enough to again expose the items we inventoried last fall.

The USGS long been a resource to taxpayers and government agencies; today, it finds a new use in our river restoration projects. My thanks to Eric Wakeman, and all the folks at USGS.

© 2008 Mike D. Anderson, Crystal, MN.

When you get help like this, even a challenging project can be... "a walk in the park"

On our Mississippi River survey trips last fall, we were seeing a lot of river bank for the first time (and much of this "first look" was coming from the seat of a 10’ kayak). We were considering the situation only from the perspective of the river, without regard to where the river sat, in relationship to the Twin Cities we know and love. There are some easy-to-recognize bridges, of course. But the buildings and landscape look different from this point of view.

After capturing digital photos and GPS waypoints of voluminous trash targets and debris fields, we had the winter and spring to see where all of these hot spots were, exactly. As luck would have it, many of the metro Mississippi clean-up sites we’ve identified lie within three different park districts. [Note: When you’re planning a river clean-up, it is critical to gain permission of the land-owners involved, giving volunteers access to the areas where a clean-up will occur.] Having our target areas within these park systems has served to accelerate the process.

First, it was my good fortune to get the help of Jeff Perry, the Park Operations Manager for Anoka County Parks and Recreation Department. Much of the shoreline which remains to be surveyed on this part of our adopted Mississippi lies on the eastern shoreline… and Jeff has let us know we need only to give him a call in advance of our clean-up efforts.

Next, Del Miller got me in touch with his colleague, Steve Fatsis, the Guest Services Manager for Three Rivers Park District. Upon hearing about our project, Steve was more than pleased to provide us with a season-long permit to use the Three Rivers access areas which lie on the western shore just south of I-694 in the Brooklyn Center area. The Three Rivers Park District took this area over relatively recently, and they see our initiative as another way they can jump-start the stewardship of this precious stretch of riverbank.

Last but not least, we got in touch with Tina Austin, the River District Crew Leader for Minneapolis Parks and Recreation. Tina is obviously a doer, and connected us quickly with Group Coordinator Arik Rudolph, and she has even led us to the gentleman in charge of the Boom Island park area on the other side of the river (and downstream). Further, Tina offered the cooperation of her department in disposing of items we recover from MP&R lands. (Again, Tina is obviously a doer!)

Navigating the proper channels.
When you're not familiar with the officials in charge of public lands, it can be time consuming to figure who to talk to, much less who's in charge. My wife and I would like to thank Jeff, Dell, Steve, Tina and Arik for making shortwork of the paperwork… and helping us get to the solution faster! When the weather and river levels allow… I’d rather be in the water—making it better—than sitting behind a desk trying to figure out how to get permission to do the right thing. Thanks to you all.

© 2008 Mike D. Anderson, Crystal, MN.

A busy winter, preparing for an even busier spring

If you were judging by the frequency of postings over the past month, you might think little was happening with our river restoration efforts. But while work (my real job) has been particularly demanding recently, it is also true that we’ve been “painting the corners” on evenings and weekends, gathering an important collection of additional connections and resources.

Like the relationship we already enjoy with the DNR offices in both Minnesota and Wisconsin, these new acquaintances will provide guidance, experience and other valuable assistance as we move forward.

For example, we were finally able to connect with a group called “Friends of the Mississippi” here in the Twin Cities metro area. Irene Jones took time to chat and introduce us to the rich history of this group of citizens. They are involved in stewardship efforts that run from Anoka to Hastings, including clean-up efforts which generally focus more on the central- and south-metro area (from the Stone Arch Bridge in downtown Minneapolis, southward through the area known as “The Gorge”), and in the Vermillion watershed. (I'm betting we can learn much from their experience and success.) Friends of the Mississippi has a record of consistency. They’ve been involved with river clean-ups for better than 15 years… and realize that river restoration takes more than an annual weekend event. According to Irene, they are also involved in land protection and restoration, water quality, land use and riverfront development issues in a variety of areas. In the Above the Falls area, their work focuses on land use, development and park planning. You can read more about their endeavors at http://www.fmr.org/.

Irene has directed me toward a couple of other organizations and contacts that will provide valuable help going forward. It is a privilege to be among “Friends.”

© 2008 Mike D. Anderson, Crystal, MN.

Removing light trash and oversized debris fields

(Mending the Mississippi: A Site 3 Project.) So far, we’ve explained “recovery targets” made of some pretty large objects: Concrete and construction debris, scrap iron, tires, and even safes. But the fifth target we’ll focus on is the collection of light trash and “litter” items... some of which have gathered into rather large debris fields. These fields can be waterborne, deposited by the current of a river into an eddy or against a bridge footing… or, wind, waves, current or water recession can deposit the trash onto the shoreline. Any obstruction to the river’s current can cause a debris field to materialize, from man-made piers and docks, to natural obstructions like partially submerged logs or fallen branches.

There's a good reason that we have focused on these debris types last; as spring unlocks the ice from this part of the Mississippi, so will it unlock a wide variety of debris items, both upstream and downstream. Just because we had a fix on where these debris fields were located last fall, doesn't mean they'll be in the same place when the ice is out.

I first became aware of the significant problems light trash can cause when working on the 1994 Mississippi Headwaters clean-up project in Northern Minnesota. Bob Wagner, then a co-chair for the Headwaters Canoe Club, recounted the endless supply of Styrofoam bait containers and plastic bottles and cups he had seen while cruising the river. He opened our eyes to just how much of this crud is floating through our waterways. With regard to harming the waterways, its marine life and adjacent habitat, small trash items can have a major impact. (Please see the postings titled "Paying for our plastic" as well as "Hiding under the snow," both recently published at our sister site, DisposeOfProperly.com.) Plastic bottles and cups, along with other "floatable" debris are among the most important pollutants we can remove in the process of river restoration. Recovery of these items can have a favorable impact not only here in Minnesota, but all the way down the river, to the Delta, into the Gulf of Mexico, and beyond.

The Google Map below illustrates where these sites are located (click on the link just below the map to enlarge it). As I’ve explained in a previous posting, after enlarging the map it becomes possible to view the area in Google Earth, thus allowing the waypoints on this route to be transferred to your handheld GPS with just a few drag & drop maneuvers.

View Larger Map
The photos within this posting are placed in essentially geographical order, as if you were traveling North to South on the Rice Creek-to-Boom Island route (see Site 3 clean-up). For more information about this project, or to get involved, feel free to drop us an email.

NOTE: Anyone who attempts to recover the items listed in this posting does so at their own risk. Please adhere to the safety instructions and guidelines provided by the DNR. Finally, let me know if you either intend to remove one or more of these items or debris fields, or that you have succeeded in doing so. Simply share your success story email, and we’ll be happy to publish it at CleanUpTheRiver.com.

© 2008 Mike D. Anderson, Crystal, MN.

Removing the metal from the Mississippi

(Mending the Mississippi: A Site 3 Project.) As I stated in the last post, an alarming amount of scrap iron and construction materiel has been discarded on the banks of the Mississippi in this area. But logically, this should come as NO surprise: These types of debris are extremely heavy, and the price of trash disposal is often set on a “cost per pound” basis. So, wrongful dumpers have chosen an alternative which might be less expensive to them, at the cost (to the rest of us) of blighting one of the nation’s most historic waterways. Again, the irony here is that so much of this material is capable of being recycled.

Anyway, the Google Map at the bottom of this post demonstrates where the majority of scrap iron is located along this stretch of the Mississippi, at least to the extent that I have mapped it. If you click on the link just below the map to enlarge it, it becomes possible to view the area in Google Earth, thus allowing the waypoints on this route to be transferred to your handheld GPS with just a few drag & drop maneuvers. If you decide to tackle one of these sites, please let me know. But as you can see from the pictures, it’s going to be hard work.

The photos are placed here in no particular order. However, a list of the objects is built-in to the Google Map below, showing the items in the geographical order you would see them if you were traveling the river from North to South on the Rice Creek-to-Boom Island route (see Site 3 clean-up). There are six sites which could be described as holiding scrap iron of various shapes and sizes. As always, note that you can click on each photo to enlarge it, and that the GPS coordinates of each photo have been embedded in the picture, placing you within roughly three meters of where the object or debris field is sitting. In some cases, this more than one picture of a site. That is so the reader can better grasp the size or location of the object or debris area.

There were a couple of barrels early in the route. Ironically, one of them was a trash barrel from the Minneapolis Parks District. Most likely, someone threw it in the river for kicks.

The sites in this category are perfect examples of material that would be too large or heavy for one or two people to lift extract, especially if their recovery effort is kayak or canoe-based. So, these are the kind of projects that will lead me to try recruit help.

During my survey work last fall, I came across what appeared to be some kind of steel salvaging company. There were huge piles of scrap iron, which were apparently being loaded into barges to send downstream. If that’s how they earn their money, perhaps they’d be interested in helping to recover some of the iron in these photos. The sign on the building said “Williams Steel,” but I have done some calling around and learned the building is now owned by an organization called American Iron. If these folks are in the business of recycling scrap iron, “Boy do I have an idea for them!”

Scrap iron and steel exemplify the types of materials which a simple pedestrian clean-up effort simply will not solve. So it makes sense that this would be one of the first “categorical list” of debris targets that we publish at CleanUpTheRiver.com and DisposeOfProperly.com.

For more information about this project, or to get involved, feel free to drop us an email.

NOTE: Anyone who attempts to recover the items listed in this posting does so at their own risk. Please adhere to the safety instructions and guidelines provided by the DNR. Also, please let me know if you either intend to remove one or more of these items, or that you have succeeded in doing so. Just drop me an email, so I can post your success story here!

In case you're thinking about helping out, click on this Google Map to enlarge the area where scrap iron is located along this stretch of the Metro Mississippi:

View Larger Map
© 2008 Mike D. Anderson, Crystal, MN.

The weight of the problem: Concrete and cinder block construction debris

(Mending the Mississippi: A Site 3 Project.) At first, I was amazed at the amount of cinder block, scrap iron and other construction materiel that has been discarded on the banks of the Mississippi in this area. But I suppose I should not have been surprised at all; these types of debris are extremely heavy; with the price of trash disposal often set on a “cost per pound” basis, wrongful dumpers might see this option as "cost savings." Too bad it's the Mississippi which ends up paying that cost... especially when cinder blocks are recycleable.

The Google Map at the bottom of this posting demonstrates where the concrete-laden construction debris is located, specifically, along this stretch of the Mississippi, at least to the extent that I have mapped it so far. (You can click on the link just below the map to enlarge it.) And as I’ve explained in a previous posting, after enlarging the map it becomes possible to view the area in Google Earth, thus allowing the waypoints on this route to be transferred to your handheld GPS with just a few drag & drop maneuvers. If you decide to tackle one of these sites, please let me know. But as you can see from the pictures, it’s going to be hard work.

There are three total targets in this category. As always, note that you can click on each photo to enlarge it, and that the GPS coordinates of each photo have been embedded in the picture, placing you within roughly three meters of where the debris field is sitting. In some cases, this more than one picture of a site. That is so the reader can better grasp the size or location of the object or debris area.

The sites in this category are perfect examples of material that would be too large or heavy for one or two people to lift extract. So, they are the kind of projects that will lead me to try recruit help.

During my kayak survey work last fall, I paddled past a company known as Marshall Blocks. One of the debris fields I discovered was directly behind their plant on the east side of the river. Some of the material in that field was cinderblock, presumably from vandals goofing off behind this factory, and throwing around some of Marshall’s inventory. But perhaps if I volunteered to personally clean-up the non-concrete trash, maybe they would help recover the blocks (in this site, and who knows, maybe even across the river at the two other other concrete debris sites).

Concrete and iron exemplify the types of materials which a simple pedestrian clean-up effort simply will not solve. That's what makes these materials hold their place on this “categorical list” of debris targets that we publish at CleanUpTheRiver as well as DisposeOfProperly.com.

NOTE: Anyone who attempts to recover the items listed in this posting does so at their own risk. Please adhere to the safety instructions and guidelines provided by the DNR. Also, please let me know if you either intend to remove one or more of these items, or that you have succeeded in doing so. Just drop me an email, so I can post your success story here!
The Google Map of construction debris along this stretch of the Metro Mississippi:

View Larger Map
© 2008 Mike D. Anderson, Crystal, MN.

Restoring a waterway which is... un-safe

(Mending the Mississippi: A Site 3 Project.) During my geo-trashing trip down the Metro Mississippi last fall, much of what I saw was predictable. But some of it… was downright peculiar. There were five safes. Yes, “safes,” as in, “someone broke into a home, gas station or store, took the lock box, and emptied it.” Then, having no idea where else to dump the evidence, they tossed the empty safes into the river. (I suppose the average thief isn’t too concerned with being environmentally friendly.)

Two of the safes were right next to each other (someone had a busy night). But the other three were scattered in different locations along the nearly ten-mile kayak run.

The Google Map below illustrates where the safes were found along this stretch of the Mississippi (click on the link just below the map to enlarge it). As I’ve explained in a previous posting, after enlarging the map it becomes possible to view the area in Google Earth, thus allowing the waypoints on this route to be transferred to your handheld GPS with just a few drag & drop maneuvers. If you decide to tackle one of these sites for removal, please let me know, so I can publish and celebrate your efforts here. But in case you’re a treasure-hunter, I must warn you: Each of the safes is empty.

View Larger Map
The photos within this posting are placed in geographical order, as if you were traveling North to South on the Rice Creek-to-Boom Island route (see Site 3 clean-up). There are five total targets in this category. Of these, two of the safes were situated very close together. As always, you can click on each photo to enlarge it, and the GPS coordinates of each photo have been embedded in the picture, placing you within roughly three meters of where the object or debris field is sitting.

A steel lockbox or safe is another good example of items that would be difficult to extract through typical pedestrian clean-up efforts. That’s why it has become one of our “categorical lists” at CleanUpTheRiver.com.

For more information about this project, or to get involved, feel free to drop us an email.

NOTE: Anyone who attempts to recover the items listed in this posting does so at their own risk. Please adhere to the safety instructions and guidelines provided by the DNR. Finally, let me know if you either intend to remove one or more of these items, or that you have succeeded in doing so. Simply share your success story email, and we’ll be happy to publish it at CleanUpTheRiver.com.

© 2008 Mike D. Anderson, Crystal, MN.