Dew drops gilding the bluestem . . . An ever-changing mosaic of color – from butterfly milkweed orange, to coneflower and partridge pea yellow, to bergamot and liatris pink, to Indiangrass green . . . Butterflies flitting . . . Caterpillars creeping . . . Insects buzzing . . . Busy birds chattering . . […]
Summer on the Prairie Read More »
Energetic volunteers, an unsurpassable staff, a pretty river, tons of trash (mostly old), a reminder from the weather that this IS Iowa: Saturday’s final day on AWARE 2011 proved to be a microcosm of the entire 90-mile week. With canoes, kayaks, chain saws, pick axes, come-alongs, bolt cutters, buckets, and sledge hammers, intrepid river warriors
AWARE – Day 7 – Volga River, Osborne to Littleport Read More »
A record day! Were there really more than 200 people on the river?! Welcome to the students taking advance placement classes at the U of Iowa. We always need more friends of the river. Hope you enjoyed the Turkey! Plenty of tires, especially – but many hands make lighter work. Weather cooperated through the day
AWARE – Day 6 – Motor Mill to Garber Read More »
A gold star for the weather – again! Warm enough to slosh in the water; cool and cloudy enough to avoid a sunburn. And – perhaps in gratitude for removing the trash – the Turkey River shared some of its scenery and secrets. Clams inched their way across sunken sandbars. Minnows darted in the shallows.
AWARE – Day 5 – Frieden’s Park to Motor Mill Read More »
What a perfect July day! Winding river, white clouds, blue sky, slight breeze. Great crowd for dedication ceremony at Gilbertson Park to celebrate the Turkey River Water Trail. Plenty of junk in the river on the downstream float – but AWARE volunteers took up the challenge. John “Chainsaw” Larison dealt harshly with a nasty sweeper
AWARE – Day 4 – Elgin to 10-Mile Bridge Read More »
Another delightful day on the river. The scattered showers might have dampened gardeners – but no problem for intrepid canoeists! Logistics of the midday stop at historic Clermont to unload junk and portage around the dam went as well as could be expected. Rumor had it that Governor Larrabee even greeted the paddlers. Gilbertson Park
AWARE – Day 3 – Turkey River Access to Elgin Read More »
Despite an overnight rainstorm, 100-plus AWARE campers and paddlers enjoyed a bright and productive day. We retrieved plenty of tires and assorted other junk from the Turkey River. Also took a little time to swim watch bald eagles and cedar waxwings. Many camped Monday evening at Gilbertson Park at Elgin, where we’ll make another overnight
AWARE – Day 2 – Eldorado to Turkey River Access Read More »
More than 150 paddlers made the sparkling waters of the Little Turkey and Turkey Rivers even cleaner by hauling out old tires, appliances, car parts, barbed wire, and assorted other junk. Bald eagles, great blue herons, kingfishers, killdeers, sandpipers, muskrats, turkey vultures, and a bewildered fawn supervised the volunteers. On down the Turkey from Eldorado
AWARE – Day 1 – Gouldsburg to Eldorado Read More »
Project AWARE kicked off Sunday, July 10, from Gouldsburg Park in Fayette County. The annual river clean-up will spend 6 days on the Little Turkey, Turkey, and Volga Rivers. More than 400 people could participate one or more days. For details, check out http://www.iowadnr.gov/Recreation/CanoeingKayaking/ProjectAWARE.aspx See you on the river?! AWARE campers
AWARE Cleans Up the Turkey Read More »