~by Michael Baird ~
The 13th annual River Rescue once again drew some 180+ volunteers who were eager to do their part in cleaning up one of our local rivers. This year’s cleanup occurred on the James River from Delaware Town to Shelvin Rock.
The Ozark Mountain Paddlers were well represented with Jason Frantz leading the way. This year OMP had a tent during registration, at the take-out, and at the Dam Jam. Several folks stopped by to pick up our club brochure, to learn about our Rec Clinic, or just because they were curious. We had a nice little slide show featuring several pictures from various OMP events (Special Thanks to Anabeth Minx for putting the slideshow together and for the loan of the equipment.) Jason and his safety staff once again ran a well-oiled machine, getting folks from point A to B, having safety personnel at some of the trickier parts of the river, and with the logistics of the whole thing in general.
Special thanks to Denise Pepmiller and Herman Owens at Water Hikers for the use of their trailer and boats; you guys are awesome! Also thanks go out to Mike Owens for shuttling the boats/safety and another thing or three. Thanks to Brian Grindstaff, Phil Mertz, and the entire OMP safety crew and to Debbie Miller and Kay Leitterman for hosting the OMP tent at Dam Jam! And lastly, a big thanks to all the outfitters that provided boats and to Bass Pro for the use of the Mill.
198 volunteers removed 5.4 tons of trash, including 200 tires, a couch, 2 recliners, a TV, and a dryer.
That evening the Dam Jam packed them in with some great music (Honkysuckle rocks!), brats provided by Johnsonville, ice cream, and of course, Springfield brew pub was on hand with their refreshing hand crafted beers (crowd favorite I am sure!). The James River Basin Partnership was again awesome with their time and energy. This event certainly would not be what it is today without the JRBP from gathering volunteers, to promoting the event, to all the logistics to make it possible. There was also some fun demonstrations setup for kids and adults to learn about our watershed and water conservation. Most people just kicked back with a cold brew and brat, enjoying the music, the ambiance of the Finley river backdrop, each other’s company, the kids running and playing, and the satisfaction of having cleaned up their river.
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