Trash Paddler

Sudbury River - Rt. 20 to Power Lines

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Wed, 30 May 2012 21:10:00 +0000

After launching into the Sudbury River in Wayland this morning, I began heading upriver from the Route 20 boat launch. It didn't take long for the sounds of traffic to fade away and be replaced by an increasing sense of tranquility. By the time I reached the Power Lines, pictured at left, my mellow meter was pinned. On the way numerous wildlife were encountered such as wood ducks, mallards, belted kingfishers, eastern kingbirds, red-winged blackbirds, tree swallows, turtles, a musquash, and a hawk. Additionally, these two, a heron and egret, both seemed lost in thought...

The egret was the more graceful of the two when taking flight...

Past Heard Pond's outlet, this new wood duck nesting box is ready for duty...

A wood duck was seen leaving one of the older boxes a little further upriver from this one.

Water levels in the river are fairly low, despite last night's rain storms. In the more sluggish parts of the river, yellow pollen gave the river a chicken broth appearance.

Trash recovered during the upriver patrol assembled hullside...

There were 32 recyclable containers (10 redeemable) and 32 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as styrofoam, plastic bags, nip bottles, an automobile tire, and an "Aqua Valley" 5-gallon water cooler jug. YTD = 2907

Still in the river, between Wayland High School and the Power Lines are 3 tires and a television set.

Ambling Down the Assabet River

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Mon, 28 May 2012 22:30:00 +0000

This morning, Erik of Open Water, Moving Water and I ambled down the Assabet River from the Acton Canoe Launch to Lowell Road in Concord. In addition to being an ideal day to be on the water, our jaunt provided Erik a chance to do reconnaissance in preparation for a group trip he'll be leading in early June. Cloudy conditions forecast for the day never materialized and skies remained clear and sunny. The Assabet River Gauge in Maynard was at 2.1 ' and at this level, things are just starting to get a little shallow in places.

At the breached Damonmill dam, passage was smooth and easy. Here is Erik moving through the opening in the dam...

and heading towards the gravel bars between the dam and Rt. 62...

Right from the start we observed a good many folks fishing. Some were fly-fishing while others were using lures or bait; some from shore, some standing in the river, and some from canoes. However, it was this fish and frog catcher who struck the most dignified pose of the day...

After successfully conquering the most recent blowdown halfway between Damondale and Pine Street, we enjoyed smooth paddling for the remainder of the way to Egg Rock. The Lowell Road boat launch, near the junction of the Sudbury and Concord rivers, was teeming with paddlecraft of all kinds...

Our joint effort trash haul continued its drying process on the sunlit shore...

There were 16 recyclable containers (2 redeemable) and 6 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, styrofoam cups, and a nip bottle. YTD = 2843

Paddling Passaconaway's Naticook Waters

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Fri, 25 May 2012 22:17:00 +0000

Passaconaway is said to have been one of the most legendary Native American figures associated with the Merrimack River; a true "larger than life" character. As a Bashaba (chief of chiefs) and powerful shaman, he held sway over the large Pennacook federation of tribes at the time of contact with Europeans. His domain reached from Pawtucket Falls in Lowell to north of Concord, NH. After he had relinquished much of his people's land to the Europeans, and entered the last stage of his life, he petitioned the General Court in 1662 to grant him a parcel of land. The Court granted him the requested parcel at a place called Naticook which today lies on both sides of the Merrimack River in the area of Litchfield and Merrimack, NH. Naticook Island, just downstream of Reeds Ferry, is believed to have been his last residence in New Hampshire.

Therefore, I decided if Passaconaway picked this area over all the others he'd seen and experienced, it must be worth a visit. Taking advantage of a pre-dawn start from home, I launched into the Merrimack River at the Depot Street Boat Ramp (Reeds Ferry Landing) a little before 6 am and paddled downriver towards Naticook Islands (there are 2)...

The one on the right is the larger of the two.

At its southern tip, I went ashore to drink in Passaconaway's downriver view...

Next, I relaunched and continued downriver to where the Souhegan River and Baboosic Brook enter from the west...

On the way, an osprey flew overhead...

Very soon after entering the Souhegan, I came to where Baboosic Brook flows in from the right. However, ascending the Baboosic looks more than a little difficult due to several concrete pipes...

After retreating back to the Souhegan, I went around the next bend to find the Souhegan dropping towards me through a beautiful set of falls...

Oblivious to the morning's commuter traffic, a blue heron had a prime fishing spot staked out.

Impressive sand deposits below the falls made a nice spot for my brunch...

Following that, I returned to the Merrimack and began the upriver trip encountering this rather nasty collection of flotsam on the way...

Here it is apres trash patrol...

By this time my trash haul was approaching overflow, so I landed on the gravelly beach at the north end of Passaconaway's island for a group photo and roll call...

There were 59 recyclable containers (no redemption in NH) and 80 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as 10 cans of spray paint, plastic bags, styrofoam, a Hooksett disk, a stuffed monster, and a child's lunch bag. YTD = 2821 All of today's trash was recovered from a less than 2 mile stretch of the Merrimack.

Arriving back at the Depot Street Boat Launch, I encountered two women from Frankin, NH who are in the process of section paddling the entire Merrimack River. Today they were paddling the stretch from Manchester to Nashua. After having lunch with family members at the landing, they were last seen heading downriver.

Confluence of Merrimack and Nashua Rivers

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:35:00 +0000

My goal this morning was to experience the confluence of the Merrimack and Nashua Rivers in Nashua, New Hampshire. I launched into the Merrimack River at the Greeley Boat Ramp and headed downriver. The Rt. 111 bridge, passing over the Merrimack, can be seen in the photo at left. It is located just a bit downstream of where the Nashua enters from the right.

On the approximately one mile paddle down to the confluence, a belted kingfisher and Baltimore oriole were seen...

On river right was this old automobile? rear end...

Several old engine blocks were nearby as well as an old Coca-Cola bottle having a patent date of December 25, 1923 with Salem Depot, NH embossed on the bottom. Perhaps someone tossed it out the window of an old Model T as they drove over the riverbank.

Upon reaching the confluence the sun was gaining ground...

The above view is looking north with the Merrimack to the right and the Nashua to the left.

Paddling up the Nashua required a bit of work in order to push through the riffle under the railroad trestle. Just above the trestle, this family of ducks told me they never doubted that I would make it...

My ascent of the Nashua stopped at this bridge which I believe is Bridge Street...

After turning around, it was a quick and effortless trip back to the confluence. Passing through the riffle under the RR trestle was much easier going with the current...

Lunch was enjoyed on a small beach at the confluence. The same beach contributed some 24 beer cans and 3 plastic bags to my day's catch...

Of today's 81 pieces of trash, all but 20 were rounded up in the Nashua River not far from the confluence. The Merrimack itself looked surprisingly trash-free.

There were 35 recyclable containers (no redemption in NH) and 46 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, a mylar balloon, styrofoam, and it looks like someone was given the boot. YTD = 2682

My Evolved Trash Paddling Techniques

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:32:00 +0000

Recently, I received the following email from fellow trashpaddler, Dan:
"Al, I've been enjoying your blog for several years. I seem to remember a blog post about the tools you use to reach trash and how you hold it down once it's on deck. I couldn't find it on your blog. If you've got an article like that, I'd enjoy reading it again. I did a trash patrol between Gleasondale and Sudbury Rd. in Stow earlier this week and was running out of deck lines after 10 items. Happy Paddling!"

Recognizing that a trash patrol netting 10 items (or even 1 item) is AOK, there are times when one wishes to recover more trash than what their deck bungees will accommodate. On those occasions, folks such as Dan may find useful these evolved techniques that I presently employ:

A typical trash patrol starts with positioning my boat as close to the target as possible in order to reach it with my extended kayak paddle. When working in moving water, I find it safer to keep my boat heading in an upstream direction making it less likely to being turned sideways to the current. The piece of trash can then be either balanced on the paddle's blade, or drawn back to within reach by my gloved hand. Once plucked from the water, it is placed under the deck bungees directly in front of my boat's cockpit...

With the trash stored temporarily under the bungee, I'm allowed to concentrate on getting away from the shore and back out to open water. When there are about a dozen items or so, I reach behind me to where a dedicated dry bag is secured to the deck bungee aft of my boat's cockpit. The trash is transferred into the dry bag which will hold between 16 and 20 pieces of trash. Usually, about the time the dry bag gets full, I'm ready to find a spot to disembark and stretch my legs. This is when the dry bag and deck's contents are transferred into my boat's rear hold where a plastic bag is waiting and the trash is salted and iced for freshness ;) (only kidding)...

Depending on how much trash is encountered, and how ambitious I'm feeling, this process will be repeated over and over again until the rear hold and dry bag are full. Large items, such as the 5-gallon pail pictured above, are secured to my boat's deck using multiple 10" bungee cords hooked to perimeter deck bungees.

On one of my better (or perhaps worse) days, my boat looked like this at patrol's end...

A testament to what bungees can do!

While the above pretty much illustrates my present trash paddling techniques, I have thought about future modifications, such as utilizing a small laundry basket secured so as to rest on the boat's front hatch, similar to the system Edthewebguy uses on his Nashua River trash recoveries. Another idea briefly explored was to tow a mini-kayak as a trash barge of sorts. Of these two, the small laundry basket seems like the one most likely to be implemented. One advantage to the laundry basket is that trash can be transferred from the paddle blade directly into the basket-no hands!

For a time, I tried to extend my reach by using a telescoping pole (meant for window washing) equipped with a grass whip blade to pull trash from the river banks or out of the shrubbery. I called it "The Come Hither" and it worked quite well, until river grit gummed up the telescoping mechanism. If I do attempt to extend my reach in the future, I'll try to develop an attachment I can clip temporarily to my paddle's shaft during retrieval operations (or grow longer arms).

Happy Trash Paddling!

Assabet River - Damondale to Route 2

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Mon, 21 May 2012 20:41:00 +0000

My short journey on the Assabet River from Pine Street to Damonmill (old mill raceway seen at left) in Concord took a little longer than expected, this morning. A new obstacle in the form of a fairly large tree has fallen across the entire width of the river about half a mile above Pine Street...

At the river's present level, it's just barely possible to slide over the tree's limbs just to the left of center...

After some small handsaw work, the path through the branches looked a little clearer...

If the river drops much lower, sliding over will become more difficult. Portaging around the tree would not be an easy job, as the banks here are steep and muddy. The Assabet gauge in Maynard is showing a height of 2.2 feet.

From this spot up to Damondale the river was in good shape, obstacle wise. I towed my boat the last 25 yards to the upstream side of the Route 62 bridge before turning around and heading downriver.

Heading downriver, below the commuter railroad bridge in West Concord, another tree reaches nearly all the way across the river...

Staying river left provides a clear path.

Today's trash haul stretched out on a small sandbar...

There were 17 recyclable containers (4 redeemable) and 28 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as a sneakers, 5-gallon plastic pail, and several plastic bags. YTD = 2601

Saw my first yellow flag of the season near the river's confluence with Nashoba Brook...

These suds were flowing out of Nashoba Brook...

I guess it just confirms that for many folks Monday is still "wash day".

Wildlife seen today consisted of one blue heron and two families of Canada geese. The older goslings are fast losing their yellow coloring...

Drawn into the Nissitissit River

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Sat, 19 May 2012 03:39:00 +0000

I've been looking forward to seeing the confluence of the Nashua and Nissitissit Rivers for quite a while. Today, I finally managed to visit the spot, shown in the photo at left, and the Nissitissit would end up drawing me in (quite literally).
However, I first needed to launch my boat into the Nashua River, in Pepperell, just downstream of the covered bridge. Because the Nashua was flowing at a very good clip, I decided to paddle upriver a bit, and get a preview of just how difficult paddling against the current would be on my return trip. After some steady paddling, I found myself looking at the power generating station which is fed with river water taken from above the dam and delivered via a large diameter wooden pipe...

Here a quick turnaround brought me into the Nashua's downstream flow and under the recently rebuilt covered bridge...

A quarter mile below the bridge were the wood piers that once carried trains over the river in order to reach the many mills in Pepperell. Today, the remaining pier stubs serve only to snag tree limbs and unsuspecting paddlers.
Another quarter mile brought me to the Nashua's confluence with the Nissitissit and I found myself looking into the exceptionally clean river with one of the more enchanting Native American names...

that no one seems to know the real meaning of.

Going ashore at the confluence allowed me the opportunity to enjoy this view and think about how many other river travelers have gazed out from this spot over the eons...

The Nissitissit begins its journey in nearby Brookline, NH upon exiting Potanipo Pond and its waters are crystal clear. The bottom alternates between stony and sandy. The little river beckoned me further in and as I headed upstream, it became shallower and swifter. Perhaps a quarter mile up, the river split into two sections and after failing to find a clear path on the left side,...

I decided to try the route on the right. After disembarking to pull my boat over a small gravel bar, I re-entered my boat and suddenly found myself sideways across the stream and stuck. Attempting to exit, the current swept the boat out from under me and an unexpected and unceremonious baptism took place. Suppose I was due for a bath, and very glad it happened in one of the region's cleanest rivers.

My ascent of the Nissitissit came to an end just a little further up at this small rapid...

Returning to the Nashua, I continued downriver to where power lines cross and seeing some quickwater ahead, opted to continue my drying process by returning upriver to the takeout with my modest trash haul...

There were 15 recyclable containers (9 redeemable) and 12 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as styrofoam cups, a bait tub, and several sheets of black polyethylene. YTD = 2556

Nissitissit might mean "shallow and swift clean water, good for taking refreshing bath in."

Concord/Assabet and Message in a Bottle

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:35:00 +0000

After the morning's rain came to an end, I launched near mid-day at Lowell Road in Concord and trash patrolled the Concord River down to Saw Mill Brook. After passing under Flint's Bridge, I came upon a floating glass bottle stuck behind a fallen tree limb. When retrieved, it became apparent there was a message inside. Opening the bottle revealed a note written in ten different languages, a US quarter, a Euro 20 cent coin, a paper Yuan with a picture of Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung) and what appears to be a small piece of coral...

The note reads (in English): "Hi you have found something that will bring you good luck. The environment loves you, after reading this message, please recycle the bottle, (or keep the message going). Send an email to (note's writer) stating who you are and where you found the bottle. Tell us your name, the country you live in and your email address, don't forget to date it! Please write a note and keep this bottle going. Please respond promptly because we would like to know the outcome of the bottle. Congrats! We speak English just FYI."

Seems someone put a lot of time into translating this note into so many languages. I'm left to wonder as to the significance of the paper bill and coins. While I elected not to keep the bottle going, I did recycle it and thought I'd share the message here. This just goes to show, one never knows what will be encountered while out on the water!
BTW, GPS coordinates where bottle was found: N 42* 28.297 by W 71* 20.874

Returning to Egg Rock, I headed upriver on the Assabet and encountered Jeff P. paddling his Zastera kayak. His Czech Republic built boat was designed for whitewater racing. Jeff was the only other paddler seen while out on the water.

Upon reaching the mouth of Spencer Brook, my trash haul was getting restless, so we all took a break at the confluence...

Goofy seems perplexed by the "Smart" water bottle. Seems like a misnomer to me.
There were 28 recyclable containers (6 redeemable) and 28 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as styrofoam, nip bottles, a sneaker, a milk crate, and an empty spray can of penetrating oil.

This turtle was enjoying a little sunshine in Spencer Brook...

This was his view looking out into the Assabet River...

Lastly, yesterday's terrestrial patrol of 2 miles produced a disturbing amount of very recent litter...

I don't know how others feel, but it's looking to me like roadside littering is getting worse, rather than better. There were 12 recyclable containers (6 redeemable) and 11 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish. Today's haul combined with yesterday's brings my YTD total to 2529.

Who knew "Dark 'n Stormys" were available (pre-mixed) in a can?

Charles and Stop Rivers to Devilsfoot Island

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:15:00 +0000

This morning's spin of the "where the weather suits my clothes" dial resulted in the arrow directing me to the southeast, and I followed it to the Charles River in Medfield. After launching at Old Bridge Street, I headed upriver paddling a section of the Charles I'd yet to experience. The guidebook I used was The Charles River: Exploring Nature and History on Foot and by Canoe by Ron McAdow and it served me well. Near the confluence of the Charles and Stop Rivers, I saw a creature swimming across the river. After first thinking it was a musquash, I soon realized it was Aqua-Squirrel...

when he made no attempt to dive.

At the actual confluence, some carp were doing a good bit of spashing in the shallows.

It was just about noontime when I reached Devilsfoot Island near the point where Nantasket Brook enters the Stop River...

I had the small rugged island to myself and enjoyed lunch near the ruins of this old hearth...

After re-launching, I headed further up the Stop 'til reaching the Noon Hill Road bridge. Water levels were at what seemed to be an ideal height for passage through the portals...

Between Devilsfoot Island and Noon Hill Road this Boston Whaler was seen at dock...

On this very narrow river it must get interesting when this boat encounters canoes heading in the opposite direction.

The skies were being patrolled by numerous swallows, red-winged blackbirds, and this large hawk?...

Looks like there is a chunk missing from his wing.

Canada geese were busy tending their new family members...

Got back to Old Bridge Street just before the rains started and snapped a photo of today's haul...

There were 31 recyclable containers (14 redeemable) and 10 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as a flood-lightbulb, a frisbee, and mono-filament fishing line. YTD = 2452

Most of the trash was found immediately downstream of bridges. Other than that, these waters were mostly trash free.

Nashua River Rail Trail - Groton to Hollis

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Sat, 12 May 2012 21:26:00 +0000

Mrs. Trashpaddler and I were able to accomplish three goals on this beautiful morning in May. First, we enjoyed a pleasant bicycle ride from Groton Depot to Hollis, NH. Secondly, we scouted a bit of the Nashua River between Pepperell and Runnells Bridge in Hollis and thirdly, we scooped up a fair amount of litter along the way.

The rail trail, itself, was buzzing with activity this morning and also providing travelers with some scenic vistas such as Unquetynasset Brook...

It's nice to see the original Native American name preserved here whereas modern maps have shortened it to Unkety Brook...

Several times in this vicinity, folks were seen dropping from the sky after apparently jumping out of airplanes...(the Pepperell sky-diving school is just across the river :)

For thirsty bicyclists, a trail abutter with an enterprising spirit created this beverage stop along the trail...

Looks to me like he thought this thing through.

As to scouting the river, we unwittingly stumbled on the spot where a rail spur branched off and formerly crossed the Nashua River about a quarter mile below Pepperell's Covered Bridge.
The riverbanks here are very steep as this photo attests...

The pilings that once supported the railroad bridge are said to lurk just below the surface here. Today's water levels looked high enough to provide ample clearance.

About a quarter mile below this spot is the confluence of the Nashua and Nissitissit Rivers.
My hope is to someday paddle the stretch from the Covered Bridge to Runnells Bridge and visit the actual confluence. However, it is not my plan to paddle through the Class 3 rapids pictured in the opening photo. According to the Nashua River Canoe and Kayak Guide, regular paddlers like me should be on river left approaching Runnells Bridge and then exit the river just below the bridge and before the rapids.

Lastly, our trash pedalling resulted in this haul of mostly single-serve plastic bottles...

There were 20 recyclable containers (5 redeemable) and 6 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, and styrofoam cups. YTD = 2411

Assabet River - Ben Smith Dam to Sudbury Rd.

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Fri, 11 May 2012 23:57:00 +0000

Thanks to the deluge of rain we received Wednesday night into Thursday, the Assabet River in Stow and Maynard was found to be high and wide. Having launched at Russell's Bridge, I trash patrolled upriver to Sudbury Rd., then down to the Ben Smith Dam in Maynard.
A fresh crop of trash was made available by the higher river levels. Trash usually out of reach on the banks was now easily grabbed, the majority of which looked to have been there for a long while.

Quite a few eastern kingbirds were seen such as this one...

Blue herons were also present...

Other wildlife observed were red-winged blackbirds, mute swans, Canada geese, red-tailed hawks, musquash, and painted turtles.

My trash haul posed at Ice House Landing...

There were 29 recyclable containers (13 redeemable) and 14 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, nip bottles, an old canteen (remember when those were used for hydration), and a dump body from a plastic toy truck. YTD = 2385

While out on the water, I found myself pondering some questions raised by news events of the past week:

In order to place a check mark in the box denoting Native American heritage, what percentage of ancestry would be required? Is there a specific criterion?

Should the United States return possession of the Black Hills in South Dakota to the original owners?

Is Boston Globe columnist Brian McGrory's series of articles on corporate abuses at Liberty Mutual showing us, in a nutshell, what's really wrong with corporate America?

Nashua River - Petapawag to Squannacook's Mouth

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Wed, 09 May 2012 22:50:00 +0000

Since the rain was holding off to the south, I decided to head west and trash patrol the Nashua River in Groton. I launched about mid-morning at the Petapawag Canoe Launch near Rt. 119 and headed upriver passing under Fitchs Bridge, Rt. 225, and the Boston and Main RR trestle at the confluence of the Nashua and Squannacook rivers. The two trestles are pictured below (first Fitch's)...

Fitch's Bridge was built in 1898 but is no longer open to vehicles or pedestrians.

The B & M Railroad trestle...

I don't believe it sees any trains these days.

The trip upriver had been a peaceful experience. Wildlife seen were wood ducks, blue herons, belted kingfishers, red-winged blackbirds, sandpipers, a musquash, and a red-tailed hawk.

By the time I reached the mouth of the Squannacook River, my trash haul had reached 92 pieces and they posed hullside near the RR trestle...

The breakdown was: 46 recyclable containers (7 redeemable) and 46 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as styrofoam food containers, styrofoam cups, a can of spray paint, a plastic oil container with a few ounces of motor oil inside, and numerous nip bottles. YTD = 2342

The trip downriver was a lot less peaceful as it was seemingly rush hour on the river...

There were 8 four-man shells being rowed by both men's and women's teams plus 4 coaches in small outboards. It was amazing to see how fast the 4-man shells could leave me in the dust, even considering that I was doing about 5 mph. Believe the rowers were from the nearby Groton School and they probably had launched from the school's stately boathouse...

Fairhaven Bay True to its Name

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:13:00 +0000

Fairhaven Bay was a most tranquil place early this morning. Though the sun was rising fast in the sky, the wind had yet to awaken from some well deserved rest.
Leaving the bay and heading upriver on the Sudbury, I found Lee's Bridge also unusually calm...

Saw my first Eastern Kingbird of the season this morning. He joined the multitudes of red-winged blackbirds, numerous wood ducks, blue herons, tree swallows, and Canada geese that were enjoying a day on the river.

Trash was very light...

Such calm conditions allowed for these guys to ride topside for the passage under the bridge. Back at the Lincoln Canoe Launch they were joined by few more cans found in the parking area there.

Post paddle, Mrs. Trashpaddler and I rounded up these terrestrial miscreants along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail...

The total for the day was 14 recyclable containers (6 redeemable) and 8 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, styrofoam, etc. YTD = 2250

A Little Tug Duty on the Assabet River

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:15:00 +0000

There was no need to worry about sunscreen or sunglasses during this morning's patrol of the Assabet River in Pompositticut (aka Stow). Clouds and light drizzle hung tough.
Having launched at Sudbury Rd., I proceeded upriver to my eventual turnaround point of Route 62 in Gleasondale (pictured at left). At about the halfway point, I ventured into Fort Meadow Brook and paddled to within sight of the old Boston and Maine RR's Central Mass branch trestle...

There were quite a few wood ducks in this area.

Back out on the Assabet numerous red-winged blackbirds, 3 musquashes, a turkey vulture, a few Canada geese, a mute swan, and a white-tailed deer were encountered.

On the trip downriver, a floating tire/wheel was encountered about half a mile below Fort Meadow Brook, and was towed to Sudbury Road. There, it joined the other castaways, hullside...

There were 17 recyclable containers (3 redeemable) and 21 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, nip bottles, vinyl sheeting, and the tire/wheel. YTD = 2228

Thanks to the Stow Highway Department for their help in disposing of the tire/wheel.

While I know weather like today's is not everyone's ideal, I have to admit to kind of liking it...

Full Ahead Slow on the Assabet River

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:05:00 +0000

Before ascending the lower 2 miles of the Assabet River this afternoon, I checked the inscription at Egg Rock to record today's water level. Though the level has begun to drop again, it remains at an ideal level for paddling.
The blustery winds of the past few days were much tamer and temperatures were in the low 60's.
In addition to the usual wood ducks, mallards, belted kingfishers, and musquashes, there were these very recent additions to Team Assabet...

Ma and Pa seemed very proud and didn't mind my presence at all.

At the last blowdown before turning around, I encountered a floating television picture tube snagged by some loose wires. Noting how nicely it floated, and since my direction would be with the current I decided to become a tug boat captain and tow it to the Concord DPW yard. Whereas yesterday when paddling in the Run of the Charles I asked my boat for all ahead full at maximum rpms, today it was all ahead slow at minimum rpm.

Pictured is the picture tube and other trash du jour...

There were 10 recyclable containers (2 redeemable) and 22 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, styrofoam cups, a pillow, and the aforementioned picture tube. YTD = 2190

2012 Run of the Charles - Dedham to Brighton

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 02:27:00 +0000

The thing I was most proud of after completing this year's Run of the Charles was still having a hat on my head at the finish line. On the stretch of river between Riverdale Park in Dedham and Moody Street in Waltham paddlers faced some very blustery headwinds. Fortunately, those same unfriendly winds later became a welcome tailwind for the last 3 miles to Artesani Park in Brighton.

This was the 30th edition of the Run of the Charles Canoe and Kayak Race. The event, hosted by the Charles River Watershed Association, celebrates the restoration of the river to the point where it can be utilized for many types of recreation.

Above is a photo of the recreational class, in which I paddled, waiting at the start line.

Of course, while paddling in this event, I found myself wondering about the river's name. Is it "Charles River" or "River Charles" and what might the Native Americans have called it? Recently, I came across Captain John Smith's The Description of New England written in 1616 and based on his earlier voyage in 1614. He opens with this entreat to his patron:

"TO THE HIGH HOPEFVL CHARLES,

Prince of Great Britaine.

Sir:

O fauourable was your most renowned and memorable Brother, Prince Henry, to all generous designes; that in my discouery of Virginia, I presumed to call two namelesse Headlands after my Soueraignes heires, Cape Henry, and Cape Charles. Since then, it beeing my chance to range some other parts of America, whereof I heere present your Highness the description in a Map; my humble sute is, you would please to change their Barbarous names, for such English, as Posterity may say, Prince Charles was their Godfather...."

The map he mentions shows the the river as "The River Charles".

Later in his Description of New England he provides the following:

"BECAUSE THE BOOKE WAS PRINTED ERE

the Prince his Highnesse had altered the names, I intreate the Reader, peruse this schedule; which will plainely shew him the correspondence of the old names to the new"

In the mentioned schedule Smith provides the old name and new name for 30 locations. For the river many paddled today he provides the new name as "Charles River" and the old name as "Massachusets River". I'm kind of partial to the old name, even if it is "barbarous". After all, the river does lead to the homeland of the Massachusetts tribe. Also, how can a river be named for a guy who never even saw it?

When not thinking about such weighty matters, I did manage to scoop up a few pieces of floating trash "on the fly", so to speak. They posed (out of the breeze) with this year's ROTC tee-shirt filling in for my still resting boat...

A lucky 7 bringing my YTD total to 2158

History Made in Concord...Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:36:00 +0000

For me, there was only one river to paddle this morning. It had to be the Concord River and today's trash patrol was dedicated to the townspeople who dared to take what may, to some, be an unpopular stand.

It's been a little over 275 years since the historic events involving the Old North Bridge took place in the town of Concord, MA. However, at last night's Town Meeting a ban on the sale of single-use plastic water bottles (one liter or less) was approved by voters. Thus Concord becomes the first town in the United States to enact such a ban.

Also this morning, the multi-billion dollar bottled water industry and the Retailers Association of Massachusetts awoke to the proverbial good news and bad news. Their good news is that, yet again, with help from their friends in the Massachusetts Legislature they've thwarted another attempt to include non-carbonated beverage containers in the state's bottle redemption program (aka bottle bill).
Their bad news is that 84 year old Jean Hill of Concord convinced many of her fellow citizens to re-examine the plastic water bottle issue, and after 3 years of discussion and thought, voters in Concord decided the negatives outweighed the advantages and enacted a ban on selling such single-use plastic containers.

Now, if the bottled water industry folks are looking for someone to blame, they need only look at their reflection in the mirror-like Concord River. Had common sense been allowed to prevail years ago, and the bottle bill been expanded, it's possible this ban may never have come to pass.

So before paddling under the replica of the "rude bridge", I stopped to admire the Concord Minute Man statue...

and thought about "the shot heard 'round the world".

This community now joins ranks with approximately 90 college campuses and the National Park Service's Grand Canyon in banning single-use plastic water bottles.

The bottled water industry doesn't see the need for such a ban. In fact they like things just the way they are: they purchase a plastic container for about 90 cents, fill it with 16 ounces of spring water or highly filtered municipal tap water, glue a flimsy label on it, then ship it to "convenience" stores and gas stations to be kept cold until purchased by poorly educated consumers like you and me. Of course at the time of purchase we think it's a value. It's convenient, isn't it? It's cold and light to carry and it's healthy H2O after all. Once it's empty, however, we find ourselves carrying a worthless piece of trash that needs to be ditched. We'd like it to be recycled but more often than not it goes into a trash barrel, or worse, gets left behind a tree, or under a bench, or perhaps in the river. In our minds we hope that somehow it will be recycled into a new water bottle. That way the loop is closed and we can get a good night's sleep. However, this is a loop that never gets closed because new plastic water bottles are made from only "virgin" plastic and that means using more petro-chemicals,water, and electricity to make new bottles every day...a gross waste of resources that introduces more and more plastic waste into the environment. Think of it as little more than "manufactured trash". How can this be considered sustainable?

Other options that do close the loop are readily available to us: good old fashioned tap water in an insulated re-usable water bottle for a fraction of the cost.

Or, if you have to have "spring" water, sign up for home delivery of those 5-gallon (reusable) plastic jugs delivered to your home by bottled water companies and then fill your own insulated water container before you leave the house.

The beauty of these two alternatives is that they don't result in mountains of disposable bottles.

By making such simple changes we can stop demonstrating over and over again the validity of P.T. Barnum's adage "there's a sucker born every minute".

Today's trash haul was collected in honor of Jean Hill and her eloquent way of asking us all to pause, think, and consider taking the long view...

The count of 41 recyclable containers (15 redeemable) and 19 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish was supervised by these two interested bystanders...

The section of river patrolled was from Egg Rock to Davis Hill and back.

Hopefully, folks in other communities will re-examine the bottled water issue and also consider taking the long view...

YTD = 2151

Scouting a Bit of the Charles River (Pre ROTC)

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:30:00 +0000

With only 5 days left before the 2012 edition of the Run of the Charles (ROTC), I decided to scout the bit of the course between Route 16 in Wellesley and Route 30 in Weston. I launched at the Norumbega Duck Feeding Area and headed upriver against a fairly strong current due to last weekend's big rain event. Some residual effects of the storm remained in the form of ominous clouds, cool temperatures and blustery winds. The photo at left shows the dark-bottomed clouds above the Recreation Road ramp off of Route 95. The clearance below this bridge has been reduced by staging related to a construction project. It's about the same amount of clearance as the golf cart bridge, further upriver, provides.

Quite a bit of floatable trash was encountered along the way, and by the time I reached the parking lot below Route 16 some transloading was in order...

The hodgepodge included 83 recyclable containers (12 redeemable) and 52 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic-lined burlap bags (labelled sodium thiosulfate), bubblewrap, styrofoam blocks and cups. The amount of single-use water bottles was significant and brought to mind how fearful the bottled water industry is concerning a proposed ban of such containers in the town of Concord.

Already, a few college campuses and a National Park have imposed such bans. To, now, have a town as historically significant as Concord enact a ban might cause folks all across the country to rethink the issue of single-use plastic bottles containing grossly over-priced drinking water.

With all trash secured, the trip back to Norumbega was a swift one and blue skies were winning the battle...

YTD = 2091

Sudbury River in Wayland and Earth Week Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 20:10:00 +0000

This morning's patrol of the Sudbury River in Wayland proved challenging for anything trying to stay afloat. The # 7 buoy, pictured at left, is losing the battle. There was barely enough water to keep my hull from scraping bottom in places. Hopefully, the rain being predicted for the upcoming weekend will remedy the situation.
After launching at River Road, I headed upriver and encountered 2 automobile tires in the first mile. Also encountered were red-winged blackbirds, Canada geese, mute swans, great blue herons, killdeers, and many musquash such as this one...

This musquash seemed to be enjoying the low water levels, and I suspect the herons were finding better than average fishing since the fish had far fewer places to hide.

The Canada geese in this photo are enjoying some elevated water levels where beavers created a pond from damming Wash Brook...

They also get to enjoy a nice view of Nobscot Hill in the distance.

The Pelham Island Road bridge is undergoing some construction work. This view is looking downriver...

On the bridge's downstream side is a newly constructed structure for carrying a pipe or conduit across the river.

My turnaround point was about a half mile upstream from the Heard Pond outlet where today's catch stretched out hullside on recently exposed gravelbar...

There were 30 recyclable containers (13 redeemable) and 28 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, styrofoam, and the aforementioned tires. Thanks to the Wayland Highway Dept. for helping to properly dispose of the tires.

This Earth Week also saw a Monday terrestrial walking patrol...

and a Tuesday trashpedalling of the Nashua River Rail Trail...

Totals for these two patrols were 26 recyclable containers (8 redeemable) and 20 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish.
YTD = 1956

Assabet River 'Round Orchard Hill

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 20:20:00 +0000

Temperatures in the 50's greeted this paddler early this morning upon launching into the Assabet River in Hudson at Cox Street. The trip downriver to Gleasondale Dam was a slow one as there was quite a bit of trash along the way. Things were nice and quiet until about 9:15 when gunfire erupted at the nearby shooting range. Once started it never subsided and could be heard all the way around Orchard Hill.
Surprisingly, the wildlife seem used to it and wood ducks, painted turtles, Canada geese, red-winged blackbirds, and red-tailed hawks went about their usual business. This turkey seemed particularly unconcerned...

Beavers were sleeping in after what looks like some recent hard work...

That's a good sized tree perhaps 16 to 18" in diameter. Nearby, work has already started on two more big ones...

Perhaps Mr. Beaver is going to build a log cabin?

My trash haul for the day was substantial for such a short (1.8 mile) stretch of river...

There were 108 recyclable containers (30 redeemable) and 79 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as nip bottles, plastic bags, styrofoam, and plastic toys. Today's 187 would be combined with these 15 picked up yesterday, while biking on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail...

YTD = 1852

A Bit of the Mighty Merrimack and Powow Rivers

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:38:00 +0000

Having a little business on the north shore this morning, I decided to do some paddling on the mighty Merrimack River in Newburyport and Amesbury, afterwards. Another blog, Kayak the Merrimack, in a 10/10/2011 post had mentioned the Cashman Park launch site in Newburyport and its proximity to 4 islands in the tidal section of the river.

Upon my arriving at Cashman Park, skies were sunny and there was a light breeze from the north/northeast. As launch sites go, this is one of the better ones I've run across (at least during the less busy times). There is parking for both trailer towing vehicles and cartop haulers. Another welcome feature is a clean portable restroom.
This photo is looking back at Cashman Park from near Ram Island...

Once I'd reached the river's north side, I headed upriver behind Ram, Carr, Eagle, and Deer Islands. The tide was still ebbing some 4.5 hours after high tide. Three ospreys and 2 red-tailed hawks were seen on and over Eagle Island. After passing under the Spofford St. bridge, which is being rebuilt, I approached the Route 95 bridge (seen in the opening photo). Those big puffy white clouds looked a little ominous.

Just before passing Salisbury Point, I saw this bald eagle soaring...

After returning my gaze to the shore, Lowell's Boat Shop caught my eye...

Their Web site states "A National Historic Landmark and working museum dedicated to preserving and perpetuating the art and craft of wooden boat building." Many a fishing dory has been born inside those walls.

A little further upriver I came to the confluence of the Merrimack and Powow Rivers and passed under the center-wheeled bridge which carries Main Street over the Powow...

The river soon gets narrow and shallow as can be seen in this photo...

At the point where the Powow splits in two directions, I turned around. Once back at the confluence, I went ashore at Alliance Park and enjoyed some lunch. In addition to this location's pre-contact Native American significance, it also played an important role in the early days of shipbuilding as these two plaques attest...

The sunshine was fast giving way to much darker clouds and a rapidly building breeze as I relaunched my boat for the return trip to Cashman Park. Shortly after getting underway, the skies let loose with a barrage of hail. Sure glad I wore my winter gear including a hat with earflaps as those hailstones had some stinging power!
The hail gave way to steady rain as I approached the Spofford St. bridge...

The trip back downriver was much faster than the trip up and as I approached my destination, several claps of thunder inspired even more acceleration. That'll teach me to never again complain about the lack of meaningful rain!

Today's modest trash haul would have no moment in the sun...

There were 6 recyclable containers (2 redeemable) and 16 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as styrofoam, plastic bags, a smiley face balloon, and 8 Hooksett disks. These disks are from the Hooksett, NH Wastewater Treatment plant and are still being found 13 months after their accidental release some 40 miles upriver.
YTD (trash total) = 1650

Sudbury River - Lee's Bridge to Sherman's Bridge

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:28:00 +0000

This morning's trip up the Sudbury River from the Lincoln Canoe Launch to Sherman's Bridge brought me past the mouth of Pantry Brook. The photo at left attests to how much lower the river level is compared to the brook these days. Usually, at this time of year, the river and the brook are at nearly the same height. On April days during many previous years, I've been able to paddle over the sheet piling dam into the upstream impoundment. Meaningful rain will be most welcome!

Wildlife continue to return from winter locales such as these tree swallows...

And this killdeer...

Year rounders such as this busy musquash were seen out and about on the river...

There were also red-tailed hawks, red-winged blackbirds, belted kingfishers, blue herons, a great egret, mallards, wood ducks, and painted turtles.

Trash was fairly sparse with most being recently exposed by the dropping water level. Once back at the Lincoln Canoe launch today's group of 34 posed hullside...

There were 15 recyclable containers (12 redeemable) and 19 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, styrofoam, a flower pot, and some bubblewrap. YTD = 1628

The canal leading into the boat launch is very silty and turbid lately...

Possibly the discoloration is due to the twin beaver lodges in the canal, and submerged traffic going in and out of the lodges?

Assabet River in Pompositticut

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:21:00 +0000

The Assabet River was looking very nice this morning when I paddled from Russell's Bridge (White Pond Rd.) to Fort Meadow Brook and back. The cool and calm conditions at the start gave way to cool and breezy conditions upon my return. However, the sun was out the whole time so, I'm not complaining.
Wildlife was plentiful with most being seen in the sky or trees above the river. First there was this wood duck in a tree...

Followed by this Osprey enjoying a breakfast of freshly caught fish...

Higher up was this hawk...

and this turkey vulture...

Closer to the river was this blue heron...

At the mouth of Fort Meadow Brook today's batch of trash stepped out onto terra-firma...

A rather diverse ensemble: a snow shovel, plastic pail, bait tubs, nip bottles, a mylar balloon, whipped cream cans, and a wild-haired mermaid. Breakdown was 10 recyclable containers (2 redeemable) and 28 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish.

A terrestrial patrol near Fort Pond Brook in Acton with Mrs. Trashpaddler last Thursday contributed this bunch...

This group was comprised of 18 recyclable containers (3 redeemable) and 29 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish. YTD = 1594

While loading my boat back on my car, a fellow came along conducting a terrestrial trash patrol of White Pond Rd. He was participating in the town of Stow's Cleanup Day.

Long Pond and Quinebaug River

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 01:41:00 +0000

This trash policy sign is the first thing I saw upon entering the Long Pond boat launch on Old Streeter Road off Route 20 in Sturbridge, this morning. It is simple and straight to the point or as they would say in New Hampshire "nuff said".
My plan for today was to explore Long Pond before entering East Brimfield Lake and ascending the Quinebaug River to Canoe Rest Stop # 3 (where I turned around on a previous downstream paddle).
Once on the water, I paddled past the remains of an old dam and looking to the north, enjoyed this inviting view...

Unlike most ponds of this size, there are no boat docks or cottages close to the shore.

To reach the furthest north section of the pond required a little "duck and paddle" to get under the Champeaux Road bridge...

Just past the bridge, on the left, is a nice fishing area maintained by the Army Corp of Engineers...

There are two streams entering the pond from the north. Both pass under the Massachusetts Turnpike which can be seen from the pond's northern tip. The stream in the northwest corner showed quite a bit of beaver activity including this dam...

This painted turtle was nearby...

Between the two streams was this marshy area where the lion's share of today's trash was encountered...

Once back at the pond's south end, I paddled under Route 20 and into East Brimfield Lake which was created by the Army Corp in 1958 for flood control. The dam seen in the distance (east) was built to hold back the Quinebaug River...

Here I headed to the west and crossed under E. Brimfield/Holland Road in order to ascend the Quinebaug to Canoe Rest Stop # 3. This had me paddling the section of the river where last June's tornado cut quite a swath of damage. In places the effect was surreal...

Despite the considerable damage to homes and businesses, it appears some folks still have a sense of humor...

A little ways before reaching my turnaround point at Rest Stop # 3, I passed this bridge abutment which may be a remnant of the railroad that never saw a train due to an iceberg...

In 1910 the Southern New England Railway was chartered as a subsidiary to the Grand Trunk Railroad to connect Providence, RI to other railroads in Palmer, MA. A considerable amount of grading and bridge abutments had been completed before the HMS Titanic sank with the railroad's builder, Charles Melville Hays, onboard April 15, 1912...almost 100 years ago to the day. The book Titanic Railroad written by Larry Lowenthal provides the whole story.

I should note that a trolley line also ran through this same area and the above bridge abutment may have served to support those tracks. Unlike the railroad, the trolley line did actually operate, running between Springfield and Worcester.

At the Canoe Rest Stop all passengers onboard my more modest ship paused for some leg stretching...

Today's haul consisted of 40 recyclable containers (12 redeemable) and 42 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as the empty coal bag, a plastic 5-gallon pail, plastic bags, styrofoam, and a small aircraft piloted by an alien lifeform resembling a crayfish. On the way back to the Long Pond boat launch a deflated mylar balloon joined the crew. YTD = 1509.

Sudbury River on April Fool's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Suasco Al) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 22:30:00 +0000

The joke this April Fool's Day was waking to a temperature of 24 degrees. After our recent heat wave, it just seemed wrong! Fortunately, the sun warmed things up fairly soon and by the time I launched into the lower Sudbury River temps were in the 40's.
I paddled up river to Lee's Bridge in Lincoln. On the way, I stopped at Brooke Island in Fairhaven Bay for a short lunch break. Walking up from the small beach, I was greeted by this small cluster of flowers...

Judging from this gnawed stump, I'd say someone had a busy night...

At Lee's Bridge, the river is low enough to allow passage through the small portal...

At the canal leading to the Lincoln Canoe Launch, these twin beaver lodges are impressive...

Further downriver, I encountered this musquash that may have been sick or recently injured...

He made no attempt to leave his dry perch which is unusual.

Other wildlife seen today were wood ducks, mallards, Canada geese, blue herons, red-tailed hawks, painted turtles, and large groups of red-winged blackbirds.

Trash was mostly up on the riverbank, and Heath's Bridge contributed the most in the form of bottles, cans, and several clumps of monofilament fishing line.
One odd find today was a floating bottle that looks to be very old. It bears the name: Fairchild Brothers, Druggists and Chemists, 60 Fulton Street, NY. According to the Web site bottlebooks.com the Fairchild Brothers operated under that name from 1878 until 1881 when the name changed to Fairchild and Foster. So, it could be 131 years old. Wonder what would have, now, caused it to be afloat? It's intact but has a few cracks.

Here's the day's catch...

There were 27 recyclable containers (15 redeemable) and 19 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, broken glass, fishing line, and an old paddle which was floating handle-up in the middle of the river. YTD = 1427.