Thank you to everyone who helped! Great to see the DNR posting about this great event!
If you've any question doing an event like this for your club, please respond the thread under the Events section. I'd be more than happy to help.
http://news.dnr.state.mn.us/index.php/2008/07/29/minnesota-4-wheel-drive-association-revives-dnr-river-cleanup/#more-42548
News Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Minnesota 4-Wheel Drive Association revives DNR river cleanup (July 29, 2008)
The
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Minnesota
4-Wheel Drive Association (M4WDA) have started a new cleanup initiative
in the city of Belle Plaine along the Minnesota River. The
association’s goal in this project is to help the state restore a vital
flood plain habitat.
About two dozen club members recently removed an estimated 100,000
pounds of rubbish from the site’s wetlands. More than 30,000 pounds of
materials have been shipped to recycling firms, including 227 car and
heavy truck tires, and metals. According to the DNR, the cleanup was
possible only through the volunteer efforts of the M4WDA, using their
electric winches, skid loaders and 4×4 trucks and trailers.
“The cleanup at the Belle Plaine State Wayside has been one of the
largest and most complex cleanups I’ve had the privilege of being
involved with,” said Paul Nordell, DNR Adopt-a-River Program
coordinator.
Over time, the state plans to manage the Belle Plaine site as a
vital flood plain habitat, in cooperation with local planning efforts.
The cleanup challenges at this site, in addition to funding, are
formidable, according to Nordell. They include dense willow thickets,
tall grass and nettles, clouds of mosquitoes, beaver ponds and dams,
washed out roads, and frequent flooding and siltation from the
Minnesota River.
In 1999, this 60-acre cleanup involved 35 partner organizations, including the DNR’s
Adopt-a-River Program. Two million pounds of rubbish and scrap were
removed that year. Some of that weight included automobiles winched out
of the river by the M4WDA.
This is the fifth time the M4DWA has assisted the DNR with river
cleanups and the second time they have volunteered at this site. This
year’s partnership has included DNR Parks and Recreation, Metropolitan
Mosquito Control District and Alter Metal Recyclers. As cleanup efforts
expand this fall, more partners are expected to join.
For more information about how individuals can help clean public waters, check out the
DNR Web site at www.mndnr.gov/adoptariver.