This article was originally published in the Omaha World-Herald on May 1, 2011
By Rick Ruggles
Click here to view article.
Showing posts with label river cleanup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label river cleanup. Show all posts
Friday, May 13, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
2011 Siouxland Clean-up News Articles and Video
(blogmaster's note: Following are news articles and video clips about our May 7, 2011 Missouri River Clean-up in the tri-state Siouxland area. For more info on this clean-up event, visit: http://www.riverrelief.org/event/siouxland-missouri-river-clean-up-2011/
River clean-up yields kilo of cocaine, police believe
Originally published on May 8, 2011, in the Sioux City Journal
Click here for original link.
by Michelle Linck
SOUTH SIOUX CITY - A block of white powder that appears to be cocaine or another illicit drug was no doubt the most unusual item found Saturday by volunteers pulling junk out of the Missouri River and off of its banks.
Sally Reinert, local coordinator of the annual Missouri River Clean-Up, said the South Sioux City police told her they believe the white "brick" discovered near the old Floyd River channel, is cocaine.
Sgt. Chris Chernock said a couple hours later that officers took the brick to the department's evidence room where they field-tested it for heroine, cocaine, methamphetamine - anything they could - but it didn't test positive for any of them. He said it could have been out in the weather too long for field testing, which isn't very sophisticated.
"We definitely believe it's some kind of illicit substance," Chernock said. "It's 2.9 pounds, and is wrapped repeatedly in layers of silver duct tape."
Chernock said a kilo, the usual way large quantities of illegal drugs are packaged, is 2.2 pounds and is typically wrapped in a clear membrane, as this brick was. The difference could be the weight of the duct tape, he said.
Chernock said South Sioux City police were called because the event was staged on that side of the river, but the brick was found near the old Floyd River channel in Sioux City. Sioux City police directed South Sioux to keep custody and continue their investigation. Police could only speculate that it may have been jettisoned from a vehicle going over the channel, fleeing police.
That "junk" was found at about 2:30 p.m. Unfortunately for the volunteer who found it, the "Most Unusual Find" contest had already closed, Reinert joked.
The winning "Most Unusual Find" was not something found every year, either. Reinert said a young man had found the full skeletal remains of a dog, complete with collar and tags.
"I'm going to call the owners," she said, "as soon as I can figure out what to say."
Reinert said about 85 volunteers showed up for the annual river clean-up event. She figured they had pulled about five tons of old tires and other junk from the river. "That's more than they got in Omaha," she said of that area's recent river clean-up.
Reinert said the amount of garbage pulled from the river is indicative of the number of volunteers.
State Steel will take all the metal and the rest of the items will go to L.P. Gill Landfill in Jackson, Neb., including the dozens of tires, which will be shredded and recycled.
Mighty Mo Gets a Spring Cleaning
Originally run on KTIV Channel 4 Sioux City, IA on May 7, 2011
Click here for original link.
-----------------------------
Siouxland Missouri River Cleanup
Originally run on KMEG Channel 14 - Sioux City, IA
Click here for original link
River clean-up yields kilo of cocaine, police believe
Originally published on May 8, 2011, in the Sioux City Journal
Click here for original link.
by Michelle Linck
SOUTH SIOUX CITY - A block of white powder that appears to be cocaine or another illicit drug was no doubt the most unusual item found Saturday by volunteers pulling junk out of the Missouri River and off of its banks.
Sally Reinert, local coordinator of the annual Missouri River Clean-Up, said the South Sioux City police told her they believe the white "brick" discovered near the old Floyd River channel, is cocaine.
Sgt. Chris Chernock said a couple hours later that officers took the brick to the department's evidence room where they field-tested it for heroine, cocaine, methamphetamine - anything they could - but it didn't test positive for any of them. He said it could have been out in the weather too long for field testing, which isn't very sophisticated.
"We definitely believe it's some kind of illicit substance," Chernock said. "It's 2.9 pounds, and is wrapped repeatedly in layers of silver duct tape."
Chernock said a kilo, the usual way large quantities of illegal drugs are packaged, is 2.2 pounds and is typically wrapped in a clear membrane, as this brick was. The difference could be the weight of the duct tape, he said.
Chernock said South Sioux City police were called because the event was staged on that side of the river, but the brick was found near the old Floyd River channel in Sioux City. Sioux City police directed South Sioux to keep custody and continue their investigation. Police could only speculate that it may have been jettisoned from a vehicle going over the channel, fleeing police.
That "junk" was found at about 2:30 p.m. Unfortunately for the volunteer who found it, the "Most Unusual Find" contest had already closed, Reinert joked.
The winning "Most Unusual Find" was not something found every year, either. Reinert said a young man had found the full skeletal remains of a dog, complete with collar and tags.
"I'm going to call the owners," she said, "as soon as I can figure out what to say."
Reinert said about 85 volunteers showed up for the annual river clean-up event. She figured they had pulled about five tons of old tires and other junk from the river. "That's more than they got in Omaha," she said of that area's recent river clean-up.
Reinert said the amount of garbage pulled from the river is indicative of the number of volunteers.
State Steel will take all the metal and the rest of the items will go to L.P. Gill Landfill in Jackson, Neb., including the dozens of tires, which will be shredded and recycled.
Mighty Mo Gets a Spring Cleaning
Originally run on KTIV Channel 4 Sioux City, IA on May 7, 2011
Click here for original link.
-----------------------------
Siouxland Missouri River Cleanup
Originally run on KMEG Channel 14 - Sioux City, IA
Click here for original link
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Missouri River Clean-up Set for May 7
Originally published in Sioux City Journal on April 27, 2011
Click here for original link.
SOUTH SIOUX CITY – Missouri River Relief will host its annual Siouxland River Cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon on May 7, coinciding with South Sioux City’s annual PACE Day cleanup of city parks for the first time.
Keep Northeast Nebraska Beautiful, the cities of Sioux City and South Sioux City and LP Gill Hauling and Landfill, are partnering in the local cleanup effort, as well.
Sally Rienert, who is co-organizing the river cleanup on the South Sioux City side, said that organizers are contacting the larger companies and large groups in the area to get involved in the river cleanup and be recognized as a group doing good things for the community.
Click here for original link.
SOUTH SIOUX CITY – Missouri River Relief will host its annual Siouxland River Cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon on May 7, coinciding with South Sioux City’s annual PACE Day cleanup of city parks for the first time.
Keep Northeast Nebraska Beautiful, the cities of Sioux City and South Sioux City and LP Gill Hauling and Landfill, are partnering in the local cleanup effort, as well.
Sally Rienert, who is co-organizing the river cleanup on the South Sioux City side, said that organizers are contacting the larger companies and large groups in the area to get involved in the river cleanup and be recognized as a group doing good things for the community.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Middle School Students Clean River's Edge Trail
Originally published by KFBB Channel 5 in Black Eagle Montana on April 15, 2011
Click here for original link.
By Charlie Keegan
The River's Edge Trail is a little cleaner today after a group of middle schoolers picked up trash along the Missouri River.
Holy Spirit Catholic School received a grant from the Governor's Office of Community Service to participate in Global Youth Service Day. The program tries to push children toward improving their communities through service.
The 55 middle schoolers took a break from the classroom and collected trash along both sides of the river.
Friday’s students were surprised at the amount of litter they found. “They are amazed at the amount of trash that is out there. Actually, I think they're kind of shocked that our city would have this much trash just lying around,” teacher Sue Sargent says.
“I was expecting some garbage, but definitely not this much garbage. People drove by and gave us thumbs up or said good job. It's rewarding when we drive by in the future to see it look cleaner and we know we helped out,” 7th grader Gavin Austin says.
The City and the River's Edge Trail donated the trash bags used in Friday’s cleanup effort.
Click here for original link.
By Charlie Keegan
The River's Edge Trail is a little cleaner today after a group of middle schoolers picked up trash along the Missouri River.
Holy Spirit Catholic School received a grant from the Governor's Office of Community Service to participate in Global Youth Service Day. The program tries to push children toward improving their communities through service.
The 55 middle schoolers took a break from the classroom and collected trash along both sides of the river.
Friday’s students were surprised at the amount of litter they found. “They are amazed at the amount of trash that is out there. Actually, I think they're kind of shocked that our city would have this much trash just lying around,” teacher Sue Sargent says.
“I was expecting some garbage, but definitely not this much garbage. People drove by and gave us thumbs up or said good job. It's rewarding when we drive by in the future to see it look cleaner and we know we helped out,” 7th grader Gavin Austin says.
The City and the River's Edge Trail donated the trash bags used in Friday’s cleanup effort.
Friday, April 22, 2011
National Park Service Serves With Innovation
Originally published on April 22, 2011 in the Yankton Press-Dakotan
Click here for original link.
by Randy Dockendorf
blogmaster's note: Often, the trashiest places along a river are at the river accesses, where there are often no trash cans for people to use. Many public land managers say that they don't have enough people resources to keep up with trash cans. Overflowing trash cans attract more trash, they say, and then the trash blows all over. Here, the National Park Service has come up with an awesome alternative.
This article also discusses the upcoming Missouri River Watershed Festival in Yankton, followed by the Missouri River Clean-up. Awesome!
VERMILLION — Steve Mietz talked trash to his audience Thursday at the University of South Dakota.
The National Park Service (NPS) uses the “Big Belly Solar Trash Cans” at selected sites, said Mietz, the Yankton-based superintendent for the Missouri National Recreational River (MNRR).
The system compacts trash in cans along the MNRR, then uses a sensor to notify NPS officials when the cans are full and ready for collection.
“It’s wicked cool,” Mietz said. “There’s a cost to get from our Yankton headquarters to the far reaches of the park to empty trash. This system saves gas, time and personnel.”
Click here for original link.
by Randy Dockendorf
blogmaster's note: Often, the trashiest places along a river are at the river accesses, where there are often no trash cans for people to use. Many public land managers say that they don't have enough people resources to keep up with trash cans. Overflowing trash cans attract more trash, they say, and then the trash blows all over. Here, the National Park Service has come up with an awesome alternative.
This article also discusses the upcoming Missouri River Watershed Festival in Yankton, followed by the Missouri River Clean-up. Awesome!
VERMILLION — Steve Mietz talked trash to his audience Thursday at the University of South Dakota.
The National Park Service (NPS) uses the “Big Belly Solar Trash Cans” at selected sites, said Mietz, the Yankton-based superintendent for the Missouri National Recreational River (MNRR).
The system compacts trash in cans along the MNRR, then uses a sensor to notify NPS officials when the cans are full and ready for collection.
“It’s wicked cool,” Mietz said. “There’s a cost to get from our Yankton headquarters to the far reaches of the park to empty trash. This system saves gas, time and personnel.”
Monday, April 4, 2011
For Blue River cleanup, organizers hope for 1,000 volunteers
Originally published on April 2, 2011 in the Kansas City Star (front page!)
Click here for original link
by Ian Cummings
When scouts went out this week to walk Blue Valley Park, they found leaves starting to bud and freshly cut grass.
But a few steps into a wooded area overlooking the Blue River, they also found toilets, tires and refrigerators. They had to step carefully to avoid broken bottles.
Today organizers hope up to 1,000 volunteers will come out to the river to help clean up tons of litter and trash left by illegal dumping.
It could be one of the biggest cleanups ever in Missouri.
Click here for original link
by Ian Cummings
But a few steps into a wooded area overlooking the Blue River, they also found toilets, tires and refrigerators. They had to step carefully to avoid broken bottles.
Today organizers hope up to 1,000 volunteers will come out to the river to help clean up tons of litter and trash left by illegal dumping.
It could be one of the biggest cleanups ever in Missouri.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Weekend river cleanup nets everything and kitchen sink
Here's a few links of news stories about the Confluence Trash Bash on Saturday, March 26. The massive urban cleanup was organized by Confluence Partnership, St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District, St. Louis Audubon and a long list of partners. Missouri River Relief took 32 volunteers out on the Missouri River to clean-up two sites. One of these sites was an abandoned farm dump on the Cora Island Unit of the Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge. We've been working on cleaning up that site for three years.
Here's a link to the Fox Channel 2 story on the cleanup
The St. Louis Post Dispatch published this following story on March 27, 2011.
Click here for original link
by Blythe Berhard
Volunteers picked up everything and the kitchen sink at the annual Confluence Trash Bash river cleanup Saturday at Old Chain of Rocks Bridge.
Ben Duncan, 10, won the prize for weirdest article of trash for spotting a ceramic sink in the bushes off Hall Street near the Mississippi riverfront in north St. Louis.
The fourth-grader came with his Cub Scout pack to get dirty and collect junk. The boys scaled their hill of garbage bags and discarded tires to pose for pictures before public works staffers hauled it away.
"It's fun because we do stuff that guys like us like to do," Ben said.
Here's a link to the Fox Channel 2 story on the cleanup
The St. Louis Post Dispatch published this following story on March 27, 2011.
Click here for original link
by Blythe Berhard
Volunteers picked up everything and the kitchen sink at the annual Confluence Trash Bash river cleanup Saturday at Old Chain of Rocks Bridge.
Ben Duncan, 10, won the prize for weirdest article of trash for spotting a ceramic sink in the bushes off Hall Street near the Mississippi riverfront in north St. Louis.
The fourth-grader came with his Cub Scout pack to get dirty and collect junk. The boys scaled their hill of garbage bags and discarded tires to pose for pictures before public works staffers hauled it away.
"It's fun because we do stuff that guys like us like to do," Ben said.
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