Somewhere to Put It

As we biked along the Speed River with our cleanup gear, we had to stop every few minutes to admire the wildlife: first a heron in the water, then a mink playing on the far shore, then a wild turkey feather left on the bank. The most impressive sighting was three osprey flying low over the river together, squawking at each other, which we’d never seen before.

At the end of October everything alive was passing through, but the debris had been there all along. We’re only finding it now because we’re scouting more of the bank.

The first thing we pulled out of the water was a tire still mounted on a heavy steel rim.

In the brush along the bank we found a paint bucket and filled it with plastic sheeting and webbing straps. Nearby were a solid plastic shelf half an inch thick and a yellow bag falling to pieces with #HAULER printed on it, which was exactly what we were doing. A worn-down snow shovel turned up as well, so at least we’re ready for winter.

Once the bucket was full we had a lot of garbage and nowhere to put it. So it felt like luck when we found a whole city garbage can lodged in a logjam, just hanging out. It was stuck fast. We both took a turn pulling and it didn’t move, so it’s another job for a winch.

Getting stuck material like this out of the river takes more than waders and a bucket. Friends of the Speed River is how we’re raising money for the gear. Until then, the one garbage can on this stretch is still in the river, slightly upstream from the industrial tire that’s also on our list to remove.

Here’s a short video of the cleanup: