The intentions of this site

Cleaning-up a river doesn’t sound too complicated, does it? Grab a few garbage bags, walk a mile or two of shoreline, and before you know it… the river is back to its’ original, beautiful condition, right? Sometimes, cleaning up a river can be that easy… kind of fun, in fact.

Other times, the problem can be more daunting.

Over the past two years, my wife and I have hundreds of miles of river navigation; some of it by canoe, and the rest of it by kayak. We’ve learned that different waterways can have dramatically different needs, in terms of their clean-up needs. Some of those needs are quite simple, where a walking trash collection event would help get things back on track. For other rivers, the shoreline is navigable only by small vessel (canoe or kayak), due to both water depth and obstructions (both natural and man-made).

Beyond the problems that exist, we are learning more than you might imagine about the causes which precipitate waterway pollution. That is why this site exists, as a companion to CleanUpTheRiver.com.

At CleanUpTheRiver.com, we’ve focused on individual efforts and group clean-up events. We have encouraged people to adopt their own parcels of river or participate in existing clean-up programs. We’ve explained how someone in a kayak can use GPS technology and digital photos to survey problem areas, and then gather the human and equipment resources needed to effectively clear a shoreline. We’ve share stories of progress and failure. And we've offered photos and stories from the most beautiful rivers, streams and backwaters that Minnesota and Wisconsin have to offer. (Memories and images are the reward of a well-protected waterway.)

DisposeOfProperly.com will serve a different purpose. This site is intended to be a place where we can talk prevention, legislation and communication. We’ll do our best to share ideas... and publicize the efforts of businesses, clubs and other community groups who are working hard to help restore a river, or prevent their pollution in the first place.

Or, when the parties have failed, we might ask some questions, too.

If you’re a solo kayak lover, part of a canoeing duo, someone who loves hiking a remote trail or walking along a waterside park... drop me an email to share your stories, your ideas, or your take on what should come next.

© 2008, 2009 Mike D. Anderson, Crystal, MN.

[Originally published 1/1/08.]