Kish Clean up on a Bi weekly basis

[Kevin Dells]

As many of you have read my rantings for years about people float tubing on the Kishwaukee and my hatred of it,I have changed my attitude of it completley. I have recently decided if you can't beat them join them. But as we do in the ISA there really is a need for educating people as well.

 

This summer i have joined a very good and always growing number of friends on float trips, the Kish being as clear and floatable as it is it really lends itself to great days spent on waters with friends. I have over the past few weekends parked my innertube in the dead middle of my group and nicely pointed out what a beautiful river it is as we pass through some of the prettier sections along the 5 miles we float. This has quickly gained their appreciation even as non fisherman for the river it is.

 

The last two trips we have also NICELY preached to groups besides ours about making sure beer and pop cans go back into the coolers after they have been consumed.

 

But what you will really see if you were to watch our group(last trip was 21 people on sunday)was our all day efforts to pick up all trash left by everybody as we see it. As we passed it it dissappeared into trash bags and every forest preserve we emptied and refilled again.

 

I am going to share a picture that yes i was very upset about when i saw it but very happy when we were done fixing it. All the contents of the bags im holding was only HALF of what we pulled out of one deep hole that current had dug behind a boulder. This rock is directly across from the Espenchied FP canoe launch. Judging from the condition of the cans(some new and some not so new) they had been accumulating for a few weeks if not longer.

 

In closing i am going to add that myself and another guy from my group are building a 4x4 floating platform that will serve as a garbage barge for future river tubing runs to help the ease of clean up efforts. We will be floating again in two weekends(july 31st).

 

We are also going to hopefully bring more camera's to show the clean up efforts. Like i said i used to be dead against this, but the response is pretty cool from onlookers who witness us not only tubing and partying along with them but more so watching us haul the cans dropped by others. I think it's beggining to rub off on others, we are not shy about telling somebody they lost a beer can and could you please pick it up! They get off easy, people from our group that drops something they get dunked!

 

It would be really cool if somehow we could get t-shirts or swim shorts with something written on the back stating that we are doing this and WATCHING THEM!

[Guest Don R]

Great job Kevin!

[jude]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! That's one of the coolest things I've read in a long time!

[Kevin Dells]

Just trying to keep the river clean guys! You both know me theres a chunk of my heart that crys out when i see how bad it can get.

 

We would go every weekend if we had more skin, were all so tan and burnt i don't think we have anymore skin to give up to the sun gods!I know my ankles have peeled four layers easy!

 

If any of you guys would like to join us it really is a fun, relaxing day on the water. Warning though the group i go with is really out there! Some of things said should not even be repeated at a truck stop!(and that's the girls talking that way!)

[Paul Trybul]

That is a really cool thing that you are doing. Getting people together, having fun and making a difference. Hopefully the example you are setting will rub off on others and your float trips can be more about relaxing instead of cleaning up after others. I did get your invite on facebook but we had some other things going on.

[Terry Dodge]

Thank you K.D. That's a job well done.

I'll through it out there and see if you're maybe interested

but I just might be able to get you some plastic 55 gal drums for you barge if you would like?

I could also cut them in half if you would like.

Thanks again.

[Kevin Dells]

Terry,

 

wev'e got two large tupperware bins were going to attach side by side, that way when we do need to empty them we can just grab and go. But thank you the plastic barrel was initially what i considered then my buddy suggested the bins and he already had them.

 

Looks like we might be out of luck using them for a bit were hoping levels come down by the 31st for our next float.

 

And Paul feel free to join us for that one, were having a cookout afterwards. Just let me know reasonably soon on FB were trying to get a head count for food.