BUFFALO RIVER CLEANUP - SEP 25

[Richard]

I don't think I will be in Arkansas on the 25th so I most likely will not be there but I would like to encourage anyone who cares about the Buffalo to participate.
Shuttles and canoes will be available at no charge for the first 60 volunteers. The following is from BNRPartners.

The plan is to meet at 8:30am at Wild Bills on the Lower Buffalo near Buffalo Point (Hwy 14) on Sat Sept 25th. The plan is to target two sections of the Lower River-Maumee to Hwy14 and Hwy14 to Rush.

All participants should have lunch/snacks and water, shoes for wading, work gloves and any tools they feel like bringing that would help with tire/trash removal (shovel, wire cutter, grabber,pick, rope)
Mesh and trash bags will be provided. Shuttles and canoes will be provided for the first 60 volunteers.
To sign up for a canoe or shuttle contact Laura Timby at (870) 439-2968 or email at ldtimby@ritternet.com by Sept 22nd. Thank you.

For those of you who plan to participate in the river clean up, make a weekend of it and plan to attend the BNRP Membership Meeting and Drive on Sunday, September 26, from 1:30 - 4:00 p.m. at the Tyler Bend Pavilion. Complete information can be found on our website at http://www.BNRPartners.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

[Eric Esche]

Currently have rack space and seat(s) for one canoe, possibly two canoes or kayaks with stacking on my Suburban leaving from Rogers EARLY Saturday morning Septmeber the 25th, going over for the Buffalo River cleanup, and probably going to do the North Maumee to HW 14 bridge section on the clean up. Depends on water levels we have that day. Would even consider doing North Maumee to Rush if we have good water. Don't know yet if I will be solo or tandem, but if Mary can't get off work, I would be willing to tandem with someone else, and provide PFD, paddles, suntan lotion, lunch, and beverages if they feed the CD player on the drive over and back. I also plan to stop to eat on the way back somewhere depending on when we get off the river. Contact me before 9PM on Friday the 24th.

My plans could be subject to change at last minute - my mother-in-law is having surgery this week, and I could need to go to Cabot with Susan, but for now, I am still doing the clean up as I would most likely be in the way with her sisters all going down there.

Eric Esche

[Cowper]

DeBo and I missed the last Buffalo clean up, so we're making some extra effort to not miss this one. We're toying with taking a raft - sure came in handy time-before-last for tackling some of the bigger items.

Don't know which stretch we'll be trying to do, but hoping to take my rig to the put-in and find a ride back to it later. At 330k, the truck is still strong, but kind of a one-rider horse.

At the risk of turning this into a "controversial" thread, I have to say, I'd sure like to see a good ACC showing for this one. Who else is trying to make it?

[Wildwood]

I'm hoping to be there. I don't care which part I go to. Just want to help and be on the water.
Jan

[Eric Esche]

Heard on NPR radio this afternoon that they are meeting at Wild Bill's at 8:30AM Saturday morning to do shuttles.

I'm leaving Rogers at 5:30AM if anyone needs a ride. Call me tomorrow night before 10PM to set up if you want to go with us.

479 Nine eIght sIX 85sIX7

Eric Esche

[Half Ton]

would like to get in on it but am staying closer to town to volunteer on some trail work and to be near the tv and that razorback game.

Eric, thanks for offering to car pool.

Forcast looks excellent.

[Cowper]

Some photos...

http://outdoors.webshots.com/slideshow/578687642dmhMqp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Eric Esche]

Thanks for posting the pictures.

Didn't get to see the snake. Banded water snake?

Can't believe that none of us took pictures of the road geotextile honeycomb being pulled out or of the helgromites being "rescued".

Maybe the rangers Or Laura will post their pics.

[fryingsquirrel]

Judging by those pictures, its no wonder the pickings were slim by the time we got downriver. Spent about 45 minutes recovering the geotextile stuff from a strainer. It turned out to be a good thing that the water was low, or getting that crap out would have been much more challenging. Here's the story:
Was paddling tandem with my mom, Pam, and saw the geotex in the strainer. Was paddling past it when PainterBob pulled his boat into the backside of the strainer. Turned upstream and got out at the strainer. Bob was on top of the strainer, upstream, while I was waist deep just below the downstream end of the geotex. Started tugging and heaving on the stuff to no avail. Cowper and DeBo showed up, followed by Eric and Mary. Bob and Cowper are trying to cut through the stuff, so I fetch a medium fixed blade from the boat. The stuff does not want to be cut. At this point, I'm told to push the lower half of the stuff upstream. I do so, and Cowper puts on a dive mask to look under the log and see whats holding it. A good deal of woody debris is removed from the strainer. Mary, in the bow of Eric's boat, is dead set that the stuff is as permanently encased as Han Solo in carbonite. It gets personal at that point. A pulley is attached to the main log upstream, then to the base of the geotex. Rope is added, and I'm told to pull the crap upstream with all my might. Nothing. Cowper joins me, still wont budge. More pulleys and carabiners are added to make a 4 to 1 z-drag. Finally I am able to heave for all I'm worth, but the thing still won't budge. PainterBob steps off of the lower end of the mat, then it suddenly got a lot easier to pull. Success! It breaks loose and Cowper and I wade it across the stream to the beach. Fully spread, it was friggin huge (not an exact measurement.) The rangers April Wood and Mike Simpson arrived somewhere around 1/2 way through this ordeal, along with Laura Timby, since we were maybe 1/2 mile downstream of Buffalo Point. I noticed movement in between the lattice of the mat, and it turned out to be about 2 dozen helgromites and some crawdads that had made the mat their home, sorry guys. We all marveled at these ugly (but fascinating) marvels of nature, then picked up as many as we could and returned them to the water. That's about the end of the story, I can't attach pics, as they are too big. I'll try webshots later. Gotta run...
Jon Ellwood

[fryingsquirrel]

As promised, I deliver...
http://community.webshots.com/album/578702993jrRAvf

Enjoy.

[Eric Esche]

Thank you Pam and John for the photos and for spotting the honeycomb and then working with everyone to free it. I didn't do anything but hold the canoe in place and hand stuff over when asked, and chuck a few of the helgromites back into the water, but we also serve who pass the fluids or tools to those who need them.

Was a fun day. If I bring my big z-drag kit next time, I might even think about snatching tires with it, rather than digging them out the old fashioned way. Probably take as long to rig and derig, but might be easier on neck and knee.

[Cowper]

This year's haul, photo from Fryingsquirrel:



And a blast from the past, when these things were easier to find (2008 clean-up):