Friday, August 26, 2011

Attack the trash! Annual cleanup on the Colorado

Truth be told I might do a little trash pick up now and then. The idea is to pick up the areas you frequent and pick up the trash you see when and where you see it. Just a little bit here and there goes a long ways. When the momentum is sustained year after year nature has a chance to flourish or at the very least sustain itself and the myriad of organisms that may rely on the many microcosms that dwell within. These microcosms are the foundation for any ecosystem and can often make the difference between good fishing and none at all. Keeping a good ecosystem thriving these days is a constant battle it seems.

The good folks of Grand Junction wage a war against refuse annually along a section of the Colorado River that astounds me year after year. With the help of local rafters they manage to pull out a good deal of trash left by less than scrupulous humans, wind or even wildlife scavengers. The final amount of refuse they retrieve is measured closer to tons than pounds along the Colorado River. 

This trash haul attack was launched from three ports; Fruita, Grand Junction and Palisades covering every scrap of refuse that could be found. They filled up three city dumpsters during this operation making my minor trash hauls look like mere skirmishes. Well done CDOT, Mesa County, local sponsors and over 150 volunteers that help make a real difference.

Janelle Ericksson over at KJCT8 covers the story with some local flavor along with some live footage of the cleanup project itself. No dumpsters were hurt during this trash cleanup excursion and we love the media support.   


Organized trash haul whoopdee doo’s on a one-time basis are ok I guess but getting those that care engaged routinely is where victory stands in regards to overall long term fight to save whatever scraps of good earth are left. Draw the line now my friends. Fight to the last breath. Warriors of the earth rise to meet the challenge as they hear the call.

Good luck and good fishing.

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