blake
Life Member
<span style='font-size: 14pt'>From the IDNR:</span>
Annual River Cleanup Route and Dates Announced
DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is looking for adventuresome volunteers to take part in the seventh annual Project AWARE (A Watershed Awareness River Expedition) river cleanup event.
This year's expedition, scheduled for June 20-27, is expected to bring hundreds of volunteers to the Cedar River to clean it up from Center Point to Muscatine, a distance of nearly 86 miles.
Volunteers participate by floating the river in a canoe or kayak and cleaning up river trash along the way. Opportunities for land based volunteers are also available. While the expedition lasts an entire week, volunteers may stay and help for as little or as long as they like.
Project AWARE combines river cleanup, recreation and education into a meaningful and rewarding experience for volunteers. Past participants have said that AWARE is one of the greatest ways for someone to connect with nature and make a difference in protecting it.
In the six-year history of Project AWARE, the expedition has sported an impressive track record, enlisting 1,231 participants who have cleaned up more than 480 river miles and removed more than 1,500 cubic yards of trash, of which 81 percent has been recycled. Volunteers have also restored native prairie, renovated trails and enhanced recreational areas.
While the work can be tough and dirty, the expedition is really one of a kind.
"Project AWARE is my RAGBRAI ... my vacation," says Cindy Watson, a four-year Project AWARE veteran. "It's a chance to come together with a bunch of other Iowans who want to make a difference and clean up our Iowa waters."
Project AWARE is an initiative of the DNR's IOWATER and Iowa Water Trails Programs.
For more information on this event and to download the registration materials, please visit http://www.iowaprojectaware.com or contact Brian Soenen at [email protected] or (515) 205-8587.
PM
Ron Wyllie
Southwest Iowa IBA Area Representative
[email protected]
