By Rusty Gates
September 12, 1998 once again brought anglers from across the region to our home waters for the annual river cleanup. This year approximately 150 hearty souls waded their favorite stretches of the Au Sable. For many this day represents giving a little time back to the river as a thank you for the season. The casting field at Gates Au Sable Lodge, our tee off point, was posted with signs designating each stream section. Virtually everyone was pre-registered, so the posting allowed the easy pairing up of teams, and the identification of any gaps in coverage. Numerous participants asked to be assigned to the same beat next season with the same partners.
Once again chef George Alexander and his crew spent the afternoon flipping burgers and providing lunch for returning participants. Driven up that morning by Dennis Goodwin were 240 ears of corn fresh off the fields. We would like to thank Thermogas of Grayling for donating a burner unit capable of keeping a five gallon kettle boiling all afternoon. Also, the keg of "Log Jam Ale" was provided by the Boyne River Brewery.
For many, this event has become the crowning of a season's end. Without volunteers none of this would be possible. Groups bringing their own teams this year were the Red Cedar Flyfishers of Lansing, the Mershon Chapter of Trout Unlimited of Saginaw, and the North Branch Boys of Toledo. A special thanks goes out to the riverboat crews who turned their beautiful varnished fishing platforms into garbage scows for the day.
While the loads of debris have lessened somewhat from the first couple years of our cleanup campaign, there is still an ongoing, persistent influx of trash into the river corridor; it was hard to identify anything that didn't come from commercial canoeing activities. RWOL
© Copyright 1998- , Anglers of the Au Sable, Inc. All rights reserved. Last modified: January 29, 2002
