Early this afternoon I launched my boat into the Sudbury River at Little Farms Rd in Framingham. The combination of beautiful spring weather and high water levels allowed me to traverse the mile-long Oxbow and drink in its tranquil environment. This turtle was doing the same thing and seemed unconcerned with my presence...
The Oxbow plays host to at least three beaver lodges and also hosts this water intake station for a nearby sand & gravel operation...
Wildlife seen in the Oxbow included wood ducks, woodpeckers, robins, red-winged blackbirds, and a napping beaver. I exited the with only a modest amount of trash and began heading downriver. Almost immediately I encountered sizable accumulations of trash that had been flushed downstream by the recent heavy flows. Additionally, at Stone Bridge Road (on Wayland side), someone had thrown several bags of trash over the guardrail and it now rested at water's edge.
I trash patrolled down to the point where the river is forced to make a hard right turn by a 25-foot high ridgeline. With my boat nearly full to the gills, I turned around and began heading back upriver. The opening photo shows the Stone Bridge basking in the afternoon sun. Where the bridge abruptly ends a young fellow was trying his luck with rod & reel.
Back at Little Farms Rd. there wasn't enough beach on which to photograph the assemblage, so we moved things up to the parking area where the usual rowdiness ensued...
The trash count for the patrol was 172. It brokedown as follows: 82 recyclable (17 redeemable) and 90 pieces of misc. rubbish such as nip bottles, plastic bags, take-out food containers, styrofoam, and the top of a cooler. YTD total = 804.
No comments:
Post a Comment