I asked him if he spent much time on this river, and he told me this was only his second time, that yesterday he put in at 3A and paddled downstream. This guy was from Ithaca, NY, and he's traveled all over upstate New York by canoe. He told me he knew of only one river even remotely like the Shawsheen, and it was on the western side of the Adirondacks. Our river profoundly impressed him, and I have to say, it was looking absolutely beautitul that day. Each cleanup is unique to the needs and goals of the particular site to be considered.
Early spring has high cold water which limits our activity.
It is a good time to find old trash as the leaves and tall grass have not yet started to grow. At this time of year river assessment is conducted to see how the winter storms and spring have impacted the river. This information is used to determine the strategy for the rest of the year's cleanups. The focus may be at a bridge and the area immediately around it or it could be a several mile paddle with canoes to make a trash sweep as the water level in the river drops. We also do tree and limb trimming to remove strainers and obstructions that impair canoe travel.