Crow River clean up day
scheduled for Sept. 13

By Ed DuBois

            During four years of taking part in annual Crow River Cleanup Day events, volunteers have recovered some very interesting items from various shoreline areas.

            An old wagon wheel from the river now decorates a garden.  An old rifle was turned over to the Sheriff’s Office.  Old clothes washer ringer machines and potbelly cooking stoves have been found, as well.

            One of the most unique modern items found were toy ducks from a Hanover celebratory event.  They were found downstream in St. Michael, reports Diane Sander, the watershed coordinator for the Crow River Organization of Water (CROW).  She has been involved with the annual cleanup four years and is planning the 2008 event, which takes place on Sept. 13 in several communities throughout the expansive watershed.

            CROW includes ten counties, from Hennepin County on the east end of the watershed to Kandiyohi County on the west end.  The most northerly member counties are Pope and Stearns.  Southerly counties include Renville, McLeod and Sibley.

September event

            Lately, Sander has begun sending newsletters to volunteers and sponsors as planning for the 2008 cleanup gets underway.  About 324 volunteers cleaned 32 miles of shoreline last year, and the list of sponsors was at least 50 names long.

            Sander presented a report to the Wright County Board several months ago about the 2007 Crow River Cleanup Day.  The list of strange items found in the river was fascinating.  Bowling balls, discarded toilets, couches, hot water heaters, mattresses, box springs, and even old engine parts have been pulled out of the flowing water by volunteers.

            Other items include TVs, fluorescent bulbs, used batteries, tires, and containers of used motor oil and paint.  The latter items are a special concern because they can harm the water quality, Sander mentioned.

            Many bikes have been found.  Items from household projects, such as shingles, carpets and even windows, have been recovered.

Out of sight, out of mind

            Do you see a pattern emerging here?  In this day and age of having to pay for the disposal of our junk, it appears some people have been avoiding fees by tossing their unwanted jumble into the river.

            Sander said five to ten bags of clothes were found offshore in Rockford.

            “I wonder if they were left over from a garage sale,” she commented.

            A few other odd finds include farm implements, a trolling motor and shopping carts.

            “It gets to be a treasure hunt,” Sander said.

            Sinks, boats, barrels, and a livestock watering tank have been found.

            Unfortunately, glass and a bottle of bleach have also been found.

            Office chairs and pads on which office chairs roll have been recovered, as well.

            The area where the wagon wheel was found is believed to be the site where a wagon crashed a very long time ago.  Besides the wagon wheel, a horse skull was found.

Citizens started it

            The Crow River Cleanup was started around 2002 by citizen groups in Rockford, Delano and Hanover.  CROW was soon involved, and the event went “watershed-wide” in 2004, Sander said.  Her goal is to get all 55 communities in CROW actively involved.

            The communities involved last year include: Brooten and Belgrade, Brownton and Stewart, Buffalo, Forest City, Glencoe, Hanover, Hassan Township, Hutchinson, Lake Lillian, Middleville Township, New London and Spicer, Paynesville, Rockford, St. Michael, and Watertown.  The largest groups of volunteers were in Hutchinson, St. Michael, Paynesville and Rockford.

            Over the past four years, 1,040 volunteers have helped the cause, including about 180 in 2004, 283 in 2005, 250 in 2006 and 324 in 2007.

            Many church groups have volunteered, plus Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, National Honor Society groups, 4-H clubs, teams of volunteers from area businesses, and river groups.

            Sander, who is provided a work station in the Wright County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) office in Buffalo, said nine tons of material was collected in 2004, followed by six tons in 2005, five tons in 2006 and eleven tons in 2007.

            Sander said sometimes volunteers come upon an historic dump site, a place that had been used as a dump for years and years.

Millions of acres

            CROW, which was organized in 1999, is set up to help improve water quality in the Crow River Basin through educational outreach efforts and collaboration with communities and citizens.  The Crow River Watershed is comprised of 1.8 million acres.  Besides 55 cities, the huge area includes 100 townships.  The watershed also contains 830 lakes.

            One county commissioner from each member county serves on the CROW Joint Powers Board.  Wright County’s representative is Commissioner Jack Russek.

            The majority of the funding for CROW comes from grants, and each member county contributes annually.  More about CROW can be found at www.crowriver.org.  A kids’ page is included.

What will be removed this year?

            To help promote the Cleanup Day and attract more volunteers, Sander’s planning activities include ordering t-shirts for everyone and coordinating lunches for the volunteer groups.

            On Sept. 13, volunteers in numerous communities will be taking items out of the river from 8 a.m. to noon, and then lunch will be served.

            “Fourteen communities were involved last year,” Sander said.

            She hopes more will join the cause this year.

            Cities and townships have been covering the cost of hauling the trash and junk away.  Sander said Waste Management and Randy’s Sanitation have helped with that, as well.

            Are you curious about what will be found during the 2008 Cleanup Day?

            Perhaps sign up as a volunteer to see firsthand what remains to be removed from the river.

            For more information, call Sander at 763-682-1933, ext. 112.

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