The September Cleanup in the Bayou
by Jack Brady
KayakJack@comcast.net
 
(Editor’s Note: All of the tires and two large 40-gallon trash bags full of garbage were disposed of
that same day. We have learned the hard way that we cannot leave tires or trash at Costello Park in
Lawrence unless we want to put it all out of the river again.)
 
The September Bayou cleanup was a model of efficiency! The September Cleanup presented us with a
daunting task for our mission of tire removal from the river. A low turnout combined with high
water levels created less than ideal conditions. Because of prior commitments, only 6 people
showed up, one of the lowest turnouts we’ve had in this section of the river in the last two years. The
temperature was reasonably warm.
 
In order to work as efficiently as possible, Ken Doran suggested that we divide the work by
specific task. Here’s how it worked.
 
Ken was on the point. He stood in the bow of our most stable canoe and spotted the tires.
One key to Ken's success was that, by standing, he had a much better vantage point to spot
tires than he would have if he were seated.
 
Another key was that the canoe was being paddled up stream. He was going into clear water
that had not been disturbed by the boat. When Ken spotted a submerged tire, he would get
out of the canoe, pull the tire out of the water, and leave it on the closest riverbank.
Then he would get back into the canoe to search for the next tire.
 
The second person in the group was Bob Rauseo. He sat in the stern of the canoe and provided
propulsion, guidance, and balance. It was very important for Bob to keep the canoe well balanced
and stable as Ken was standing in the bow. On occasion, Bob would join Ken in the water if Ken
had trouble freeing a tire or if two tires were spotted close to each other. Truck tires and
tires with rims were particularly difficult.
 
Joe Moore and I performed the next step, each in a separate canoe. We ferried the tires from
the riverbank back to the staging area. We loaded our canoes as high as we thought was safe
and paddled back down stream. Luckily we were going with the current.
 
Because of another commitment, Joe had to leave after 2 hours. As the lone courier, I had a
difficult time keeping up with Ken and Bob. I found I had a tendency to overload my canoe to
the point where it became top heavy and very unstable. My high load prevented me from seeing
any underwater obstacles and I almost tipped over more than once.
 
Sharon and Larry Lapham, the third part of our group, were the ground crew. They worked the
staging area. Their job began when either Joe or I arrived with a full canoe. They had to
unload the boats to the riverbank. While they did that, Joe and I rested and drank a lot of
water. Once the boat was emptied, Joe or I left for another load.
 
Sharon and Larry's work really began when they had to move the stack of tires from the
riverbank, up a steep 20-yard trail, and put them into Bob's pickup truck. Just as the
truck tires with rims caused Ken and Bob great problems, they were the most difficult
part of Sharon and Larry’s task.
 
They improvised an ingenious method for getting the tires up the hill. They found a very
sturdy stick that was about 6 feet long and 4 inches in diameter. When they put the pole
through the middle of the rim, they could each get on a different side and roll it up hill.
Their final task was to load the pickup truck so that no space was unused.
 
I’m convinced our work breakdown was correct because there were no bottlenecks;
no one group got too far ahead or behind another group. Another indication of our
efficiency was that everyone became tired (exhausted) at about the same time. Six people
removed and properly disposed of 49 tires in 3? hours.
 
I’d like to encourage people to join us. Extra help is always needed. We can always use
another tire puller in a separate canoe, another barge pilot to ferry the tires, and additional ground crew. 
 
You’ll not find a more satisfying way to spend a Saturday morning, and the river always
very clearly says “Thank you!”