Paddling for a Purpose: Iowa Project AWARE Cleans Up Little Turkey & Turkey River

Keep local news local. Support Decorah News. LITTLE TURKEY AND TURKEY RIVERS — The Little Turkey and Turkey rivers in northeast Iowa are now 11 tons of trash lighter, thanks to the efforts of 276 volunteers. In July, volunteers from throughout Iowa and the Midwest participated in the 23rd annual Iowa Project AWARE, paddling 67 miles of the Little Turkey and Turkey rivers through Clayton, Fayette and Winneshiek counties. Iowa Project AWARE, which stands for A Watershed Awareness River Expedition, is a volunteer river cleanup event during which hundreds of people commit one to five days to exploring Iowa's rivers and removing trash along the way. "Fayette County Conservation loved being a part of this river cleanup effort! So many volunteers were willing to give their personal time and energy to make our rivers cleaner for all. We are so grateful that so many items were able to be recycled!" said Heather Gamm, director of Fayette County Conservation. Scrap metal was the heaviest material removed, with 12,800 pounds collected from the two rivers during the event. Volunteers also removed 126 tires. Overall, 97% of the materials removed from the rivers avoided the landfill and were recycled. "We try to recycle everything that comes in, to make sure that we are being as sustainable as possible, and to make sure that we aren't harming another ecosystem," said Jenna Pfeiffer, event director for Iowa Project AWARE. A total of 112 volunteers participated in all five days of the event. At any given time, approximately 178 volunteers were on the water each day, ranging in age from 6 to 84. Nineteen percent of the volunteers were younger than 18, as the cleanup encourages family participation. "It's like a big river family," said 18-year volunteer Sara Mildenstein, who travels from Colorado to attend the annual event. "It's fun to be away from our phones and away from technology and just get to do something helpful for our community. It is just the best time ever." "The only way that Iowans build an understanding of what's happening on our rivers is by participating in events like this," said Chuck Tonelli, board president of N-Compass Inc. and a father of eight. Iowa Project AWARE is coordinated by the nonprofit N-Compass Inc. Photos from the event are available on the Iowa Project AWARE website at www.iowaprojectaware.org. Busy day? We've got you covered. Get local news delivered to your inbox.