A few months ago I noticed that someone had spray painted a giant pot leaf on the rocks at Sandy Beach. Now, I can appreciate graffiti on a bridge abutment or a highway overpass, but NOT in a national park -- especially when I see it almost every day. Sandy Beach is a river access point for boaters running both Great Falls and Mather Gorge, so we have a particular responsibility to keep it clean. I decided to organize a graffiti removal effort.
I spoke with Dan Filer, the volunteer coordinator for the C&O Canal NHP, and he enthusiastically supported the idea. Because the graffiti was so close to the river, we agreed not to use chemicals. I mean, we're trying to clean up the river, not pollute it some more, right? That meant we had to use wire brushes and elbow grease. Undeterred, twelve brave volunteers showed up on the morning of Saturday, March 21 to do battle with the graffiti.
For four hours we scrubbed, and scraped, and scratched, and shouted obscenities at the graffiti. We poured water and then sand on it, hoping it would act as an abrasive. It was slow going, but we made some progress. And it was actually pretty fun, thanks to the continuous banter of the volunteers! Finally we grew tired, and decided tha we had made as much progress as we were going to that day. It was time to step back and rethink our strategy.
The graffiti is still there. It's significantly duller, and worn away in places, but it's still there. We're looking into other ways to remove the graffiti besides wire brushes. So stay tuned... the graffiti removal effort is only just beginning!
* Thanks to Dan Filer, Dan LaFrance, Kyle Anderson, and everyone at the NPS who helped me organize the clean up and provided us with tools.
* Thanks to Craig Campbell and Maggie Snowel for taking photos.
* Thanks to Grayson Taff and Tom Veratti for providing refreshments.
*And most of all, thanks to all the volunteers who showed up on Saturday morning to help with the clean up: Craig Campbell, Nancy Fechnay, Bion Kim, Dan MacGuire, David Ritchie, Jen Sass, Jerry Stezer, Grayson Taff, Tom Veratti, and Bob (sorry, I didn't catch your last name), as well as Team Potomac Paddlesports members Jason Beakes and Maggie Snowel.
~Scott
There it is
Getting started
Washing off the residue... starting to look better
Showing off how green my brush is getting...clearly progress is being made
At some point, most paddlers have come across one of the greatest threats to our nation's streams: Acid Mine Drainage. Paddling on many of West Virginia's creeks and rivers the effects become quite evident. The Cheat River watershed is especially affected.Acid Mine Drainage is a mixture of sulfuric acid, ferric compounds, and other heavy metals. It degrades water quality tremendously, posing severe threats to aquatic life, surrounding ecosystems, and humans. It results from the oxidation of pyrite during the mining process. I did a research paper on AMD for one of my first Environmental Management classes. The abstract is below followed by a link to the full text of the paper for those interested in learning more about this devastating phenomenon. A synopsis of AMD in the Cheat watershed follows.
ABSTRACT: One of the most significant land management issues facing the U.S today deals with hundreds of years of abandoned mines. Prospecting for coal, gold, silver, nickel, and other precious metals has left many regions of the nation literally littered with abandoned mines. These sites that once held the riches of a thriving nation now leave behind a legacy of destruction. Thousands of miles of streams are polluted with acidic mine waters that drain from these mines, bringing with them high levels of heavy metals and acids. These substances are highly toxic to aquatic life leaving many streams entirely devoid of life. Surrounding ecosystems are thus also highly affected; acid mine waters can leave behind tree-less, lifeless moonscapes. The ecological and public health impacts of acid mine drainage and its affect on recreational activities are discussed here. An overview of historic mining practices, legislation, and remediation methods are also studied. Successful remediation projects on key river reaches are examined.
For my birthday Craig put this great video together for me. Seeing as how all i'll be doing for the next couple of weeks (I broke a bone in my foot) is watching it rather than actually paddling, i thought ya'll may as well too! Enjoy.
This Saturday the Potomac Paddlesports shop held an Outfitting Clinic to help anyone interested with boat outfitting. Scott, Jordan, and I came out to help Tom and Matt run the clinic. We had several people come in with help outfitting both sea and whitewater kayaks and had a great time cutting up foam, discussing the finer points of outfitting cement, and generally explaining outfitting methods. If you need help with outfitting your boat keep an eye out for the next clinic or just feel free to email one of us or stop by the shop.
Thanks very much to Craig Campbell for coming out and taking all these great photos!
~Maggie
Talking about boat fitting
Matt helps out with sea kayak outfitting
Jordan adjusts the backband on a sea kayak
Tom hard at work
Explaining how to glue foam to the boat
Scott helps make things comfy
Picking out foam for a new footblock
Explaining the intricacies of Wavesport outfitting
Now available at Potomac Paddlesports! Roy Sewall's great new book "Great Falls and Mather Gorge". This is a beautiful coffee table book of amazing photography of the Falls and gorge. It focuses more closely on whitewater boating than Roy's previous book "Our Potomac" and features many local DC area paddlers including several PPS team members including yours truly (back cover!), Scott Anderson, and our gracious sponsor Sunny Pitcher himself! Come by the shop and check it out!
Having used up all my time off on various trips throughout the year I've been staying closer to home. Finished off 2008 with some trips on Big Sandy Creek and had the pleasure of leading Craig down on his first LBS run. Team trip next time?
Happy New Year all! I thought I'd start off 2009 by quickly reminiscing on 2008, boy what a great year! Here's a quick recap of what I did this past year, some favorite moments, and associated trips (click on the photos) by season.
This past fall i started grad school: MS in Environmental Management. Yes i am hoping to save the world for a change of career pace! So expect to see some posts on topics such as Acid Mine Drainage in the near future. I'm definitely looking forward to what 2009 will bring. So far in the mix: Another trip to Oregon coming up in May.
~Maggie
Winter: Icy days on the Upper Yough
Spring: Scouting on Canyon Creek, WA; Part of a great Pacific Northwest Trip
Boofing with Pinky on Little Antietam Creek
Summer: Boofing off Grace Under Pressure during the Great Falls Race
Hiking the Zion Narrows as part of a great Southwest adventure
Fall: Launching off Pummel (with cat ears) for Halloween.
There it is
Getting started
Washing off the residue...
Showing off how green my brush is getting...clearly progress is being made
David making great progress
