Take Out What You Put In - Keeping our Rivers Clean

Enjoying the outdoors is good for the soul. While we enjoy our rivers, it is important to ensure that we are keeping the environment clean for our future and for other adventurers. There are several ways to ensure that you are prepared and still have fun out on the water.

Be Prepared - You never know when you will flip!

Even if a river is slow and low there is still a potential risk of flipping your canoe or kayak. If you have loose items in your boat they may just end up down the river. Make sure that you have your items secured to your boat or in your hatch. Here are some items that you can use to keep your valuables secure:

• A Dry Box for your phone, wallet, keys, etc... You can attach is with a carabiner clip.

• A Dry Bag for shoes, clothing, food, drinks, etc... Again, you can attach this to your boat with a carabiner clip or straps.

• A small cooler for your water or other items you want to keep cold. Attach this to your boat so the good stuff doesn't get away.

What Not to Bring

The best way to ensure you are keeping the waterways clean is to know what items you shouldn't bring on your trip. So many things that we take as common items can take hundreds if not thousands, of years to decompose in our water ways. Here are some items to stay away from:

• Glass - Anything in a glass container could break and not only hurt you but hurt others as it floats down the river.

• Styrofoam Coolers - Styrofoam can take hundreds of years to decompose. Although it is inexpensive, it breaks apart easily and can cause a lot of litter in the river.

• Plastic Bags - It's easy to just throw a plastic bag full of snacks or gear in your boat but once they are empty they can just float away. Let's keep the water clean!

Take Out What You Put In

Anyone can pick up trash from our waters. If you see trash, be a part of the progress and pick it up. You can use a mesh bag or onion bag to store your trash. They are less likely to break and can be recycled. Each year we pull tires, trash, cans, and other garbage out of our water. This can all be prevented if we do our part!