Up 30 inches of snow was forecasted in the Wasatch mountains last Saturday, but temperatures down lower could mean rain. I was wondering if Fish For Garbage might consider delaying the Lower Provo River cleanup, but then I remembered a few things. The Weber River Cleanup last year that was a clear success on a cold rainy day. Most fisherman don’t shy away from bad weather or getting wet, in fact, ‘bad weather’ is often a blessing for the angler, fish might be hungry, less people on the water too. On Saturday though, people came out with friends and family to pick up garbage along several miles of the Lower Provo River which snakes its way through one of the most beautiful canyons in the West.
As I parked and hopped out of my truck, I saw a man in in a full wetsuit with a diving mask on his forehead ready to tackle the ice cold snow fed river’s harder to find garbage. This is a community with strong values and clearly is not afraid of cold or wet. I see nothing that can stop FFG or its volunteers!
In three hours, the 100 or so trash anglers managed to pick up enough garbage to fill two 20 foot dumpsters; 8,260 lbs of trash. The PaleBlue team showed up with 6 volunteers and I dare say we represented well on our contribution, hitting some harder to reach areas of the river in full force. We found some interesting things along the river, from flip flops to car suspension components.
What’s amazing is that FFG has been cleaning this section of river annually since 2015. You would think they would have found everything by now, but this is not a one and done project which is why support from like-minded businesses is so important for this mission to continue and to continue to gain momentum.
Perhaps the most inspiring part of the day was all the kids who were there, working the river banks, guiding drivers to the dumpsters to unload, and even taking the microphone during the giveaways. Setting the right example for the next generation to be good stewards is, as it always has been (but perhaps is worth noting how easily it can be lost in the busy tech-heavy modern lifestyle) critical to living true to the concept of leaving a place better than how you found it.
PaleBlue is a proud supporter and partner of Fish For Garbage. Huge credit to the FFG team for setting the right example and for making a big impact year after year and river after river!
