Cleaning up

the Cottonwood

River bed yields

tires, pop cans,

even golf clubs

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Taking advantage of a bright, sunny, relatively warm day and low water levels, about a dozen volunteers cleaned the area around the Cottonwood River east and west of Flandrau State Park on Thursday afternoon.

Members of the Friends of Flandrau (State Park), Boy Scout Troop 51 and several residents utilized a canoe and small fishing boat to store the debris as they traveled east and west of the park beach.

Floyd Alwin of New Ulm and a friend took a canoe west to the Brown CSAH 13 bridge. Alwin hoped to find a rock where he could measure the river water level.

A nearby beaver dam prevented that idea from working. Alwin reported finding glass and plastic bottles and aluminum cans, paper and styrofoam.

Flandrau State Park Ranger Tom Schmitz, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts ranging in age from 7 to 12 moved east of the beach. Several men used hip waders and pulled the fishing boat as they walked in the shallow river water.

Youngsters with boots on could wade across most of the river. Waders were needed for the deeper parts of the river channel.

The Schmitz crew found discarded items near the beach while heading toward the Cottonwood Street Bridge. An old pair of running shorts, tires and assorted litter were among the first items they picked up.

Empty glass jars were used to collect water for testing.

Schmitz said the river cleanup has been held in the spring and fall of each year the past few years.

"I've found things like sheet metal, scrap metal, beer and pop cans and bottles, and golf balls near the country club," Schmitz said. "It could be worse. I've seen dirtier rivers. The lower water enables us to find more things than we would with normal water levels."

Schmitz predicted that river fishing would be good with the lower water levels because fish would be more concentrated. His crew filled up the fishing boat and canoe that Alwin earlier used.

The going was a bit slower in the shallow river because the boat sunk lower in the water as garbage was added.

The Schmitz crew never reached the Cottonwood Street Bridge. They stopped near the August Schell Brewery after 3 1/2 hours of work.

Their stash included eight tires, steel posts and culverts, shoes, assorted clothing and many beer and pop containers. The Schmitz crew had to work hard to dig out several tires that were partially buried in river sediment.

"It was hard work and slow going," Schmitz said.

The volunteers enjoyed viewing wildlife including several bald eagles, deer, beaver and wild turkeys.