Tags: Paddle Pickup

This year the Bardstown Boaters hosted their 4th Annual Paddle Pickup on the Beech Fork of the Salt River in Bardstown, KY. The Bardstown Boaters along with help from a total near 50 volunteers from across the state cleaned well over a ton of garbage from the Beech Fork. The section cleaned was from highway 49 to the Nelson County Fairgrounds.

The Paddle Pickup has now cleaned 13 miles of the Beech Fork in all, from Highway 605 in Manton to Highway 31E in Bardstown. The Bardstown Boaters are all ready looking forward to cleaning up more waste from our local waterways next year.

A very special thanks tp these people and organizations who make the Paddle Pickup such a huge success.

Mike Hammons & Central Kentucky Canoe and Kayak
DeanWatts & Nelson County Government
The Bardstown Rotary Club
Brad Hurst
Kenny Fogle & WBRT
David White
David Adams
Laura Blair (Newcomb Oil)
Jerry Boone & Boone’s Butcher Shop
Jennifer Waldron & 3D Graphics
Patrick Hayden & Keene’s Depot

Media: Pictures | Video

Tags: Paddle Pickup | Beech Fork

From: The Kentucky Standard

By STAFF REPORT

This Saturday the Bardstown Boaters, a local whitewater paddling and water conservation group, will host its fourth annual “Paddle Pick up.”

Each year the group cleans up a different four-mile section of the Beech Fork River. This year the group will pickup between KY 49 and The Nelson County Fairgrounds. Those interested can meet at 9 a.m. at Keene’s Depot at 8 Old Bloomfield Pike. Canoes will be available to those who do not have their own kayak or canoe, provided by Central Kentucky Canoe and Kayak. A shuttle will take the cleanup crew to the put in, the event is expected to last until 3 - 4 p.m.

The Bardstown group strives to meet water conservation, sustainability, energy conservation, and habitat conservation goals in Nelson County.

The local initiative is to clean up local waterways and promote awareness that coincides with National River Cleanup, a year-long initiative that kicks off May 31- June 8.

In the past three years the Bardstown Boaters and other volunteers have cleaned four tons of garbage and more than 300 tires out of the Beech Fork River.

“People should come out to clean out local waterways,” and no experience is necessary, said Bardstown Boaters president, Spalding Hurst.

Those interested in learning more about white water, canoeing or kayaking should visit www.bardstownboaters.com.

Tags: Paddle Pickup | Beech Fork | Environment

The Paddle Pickup is this Saturday, May 31st. Participants will meet at 9 a.m. Keene’s Depot at 108 Old Bloomfield Pike in downtown Bardstown. Boats will be provided by Central Kentucky Canoe and Kayak for those who do not have their own.

The Bardstown Boaters along with local Boy Scout Troops and members of the community will be paddling the Beech Fork in Nelson County and removing garbage from the waterway.

For more information visit the Paddle Pickup page of the website or visit the the forum. But what ever you do, just be sure to join us this Saturday.

Press: The News-Enterprise | American Rivers

Tags: Environment | River Cleanup | Paddle Pickup | Beech Fork

Here is the screen for the Paddle Pickup Shirts. We tend to keep these shirts a little old school. We don't know what color these shirts will be yet. Leave your choice for the color of the shirts in the comments below.

The Paddle Pickup will be on Saturday, May 31st. Meet at Keene's Depot at 9 a.m.

Shirts will be given away to the first 60 volunteers. See you at the Paddle Pickup!

Tags: Paddle Pickup | Gear | Shirts

Many have often wondered about what happens to the tires retrieved from the Paddle Pickup? Well now we know the entire life cycle of the these tires.

Tires are made at the factory. After they are done being raced with at the local speedway, they are conveniently pitched into the Beech Fork. Once a year the Paddle Pickup rolls around and local boaters not so conveniently retrieve them from the river. These tires are then taken to the Nelson County Landfill and separated from the other garbage. A company from Marion County then picks them up for a fee paid for by the Landfill. They are then recycled into either mulch or used as a supplement for burning coal which in turn powers the factory so it can produce some more tires.

Learn more by joining us at this years Paddle Pickup!

Tags: Paddle Pickup | Environment

This year's meeting place for the Paddle Pickup will be at Keen's Depot on Old Bloomfield Pike in Bardstown, Kentucky. We will meet at 9am. Patrick Hayden has graciously opened his doors to us as the jumping point for our annual river cleanup.

The Paddle Pickup is on Saturday May 31st. The Bardstown Boaters along with local Boy Scout Troops and members of the community will be paddling the Beech Fork in Nelson County and removing garbage from the waterway.

This is the 4th year for the Paddle Pickup. We receive support from Central Kentucky Canoe & Kayak, City of Bardstown, Nelson County Government and The Rotary Club.

The Bardstown Boaters hold the Paddle Pickup in conjunction with National River Cleanup Week. In the past the club has removed over 3 tons of waste from the river.

Pass around the Paddle Pickup flyer and join us on May 31st! For more information visit the Paddle Pickup webpage or talk to us in the forum.

Tags: Paddle Pickup

The 2008 flyer for the Paddle Pickup is here. Download it, print it out and tell all your friends!



Download Flyer (8mb)

Tags: Paddle Pickup | Environment | Beech Fork

The Bardstown Boaters are planning an over night canoe trip on the Beech Fork on April 18-19th. This will serve as a information gathering expedition for the Paddle Pickup as The bardstown Boaters will be looking for a new section of the river to clean up. Please feel free to join in on this laid back flat water trip down our most local of water ways.

You can discuss the details of the trip in the forum at this link. You can find out more information about this year's Paddle Pickup here.

Tags: Paddle Pickup | Beech Fork | Overnighter

Dear Bardstown Boaters,

Thank you for making 2007, our first year sponsoring National River Cleanup™, such a great success. As one of the 500+ river cleanup organizers, and more than 95,000 volunteers, who participated in National River Cleanup, you helped:

• Fill more than 100,000 bags of trash
• Remove more than 600 tons of trash
• Clean up more than 7,000 river miles

As we turn our sights on 2008, we look forward to building on last year's success with an even bigger cleanup season. Though cleanups will happen throughout the year, National River Cleanup™ 2008 officially kicks off May 31. Judging from the early responses we have received, 2008 is likely to be another record setting year.

Additionally, we've recently overhauled our website to include:

• Customizable personal cleanup pages & personalized email communications that you, the organizer, create
• Zip code search so prospective volunteers in your community can easily find your cleanup
• Banners, badges and eCards to spread the word
• Frequently asked questions for organizers & volunteers

We are very excited to offer these services to all organizers and look forward to working with you in 2008.

Visit the American Rivers National River Cleanup web page.

Tags: Paddle Pickup

Congratulations! You and your organization have won Honorable Mention in the National River Cleanup Week photo contest and will receive one pfd from Old Town Canoe, and a rod holder from Thule. Thank you for participating in National River Cleanup Week and submitting your photos to the contest. With your help American Rivers will now be able to display some of the great success the Cleanup has had around the country!

We support the outstanding job you've done keeping your river healthy, and providing people in your community the opportunity to educate themselves about the consequences oflitter and illegal dumping. We look forward to seeing you next year.

Have a great summer! American Rivers

Tags: Paddle Pickup

Thank you to those of you who have reported back to us about your cleanup! We, at American Rivers, are overwhelmed by what has been accomplished this year. Nearly 95,000 volunteers (a more than 50% increase over 2006) have removed more than 600 tons of trash from more than 7,000 river miles. Visit Trash Talkin', the National River Cleanup Week blog, for more of this year's cleanup stats.

Gathering all of your accomplishments and getting the chance to speak with many of you about your cleanups has been the most rewarding part of this whole year for me -- I feel so honored to be involved with your work through National River Cleanup Week! Trash Talkin' has been created so that you can share your experiences both with one another and the rest of the country. As an extra incentive, after entering your story you'll be automatically entered to win one of four high-performance Extrasport pfds.

Here’s all you need to do –

• Visit Trash Talkin'
• Scroll down to the "share your cleanup story" link.
• Enter your comment in the new window
• Give yourself a name
• And publish your story!

HEATHER HAMILTON
Cleanup Week Coordinator
American Rivers
1101 14th St. NW, Suite 1400
Washington, DC 20005

Tags: Paddle Pickup

On Saturday, June 9th, the Bardstown Boaters held their third annual river clean up of the Beech Fork, commonly referred to as the Paddle Pick Up. By all accounts the Paddle Pick Up was once again a huge success! This year’s event focused on the section of the Beech Fork, which runs from the Nelson County Fair Grounds to the 31E Bridge. Over 50 volunteers participated this year and either canoed, kayaked or walked the banks of the Beech Fork collecting trash of all shapes and sizes. By the end of the day, we removed over three tons of garbage from the river including over eighty automobile tires, a computer monitor, a Lexington Herald-Leader Newspaper Dispenser, and more beer cans than we could count.

This event would not be possible without the assistance of Mike Hammons, owner and operator of Horizon Hoppers Outfitters (www.horizonhopper.com). Horizon Hoppers provided the canoes, which enabled us to put over thirty volunteers on the river. The Bardstown Boaters also want to thank the Nelson County Government for providing the industrial dumpster and garbage bags. In addition, we want to thank the Bluegrass Tavern and Smith Brothers Distributors for this year’s Paddle Pick Up banner. Moreover, we want to thank the Bardstown Rotary Club for their continued financial support, which paid for the event t-shirts that were handed out to the volunteers. This year a special thanks goes out to the Boy Scout Troops 142 and 147. The involvement of the local Boy Scout Troops added new energy to this year’s event and we hope to have both troops back again next year.

We welcome anyone interested in river conservation or the Bardstown Boaters to visit our website at www.bardstownboaters.com. Even though the past three Paddle Pick Ups have been hugely successful, there is still a mountain of garbage to be removed from the Beech Fork. The first step to resolving this tragic problem is to stop contributing to it. The state of the Beech Fork is a community wide problem, and it will take a community wide effort to correct. Therefore, the Bardstown Boaters challenge the Bardstown / Nelson County community to stop polluting our rivers and woodlands. Collectively as a community we can reverse the environmental damage done and restore the health of the Beech Fork.

Sincerely,

Justin Janes
Environmental Director
Bardstown Boaters

Tags: Beech Fork | Paddle Pickup

2cfs - Beech Fork
Fairgrounds to 31E

Flickr • Vimeo • YouTube

CNN Video • Story

Wow. This thing just keeps getting bigger.

We had 50+ out on the Beech Fork this Saturday for another great Paddle Pickup.

First I would like to thank everyone who makes this river cleanup possible. People like Mike Hammons with Central Kentucky Canoe & Kayak. He halts his own business and donates his entire fleet of canoes to us each year. And when we load these things with tires and old scrap metal then scrape them down the rubble dam, we really but the boats through the ringer. But with out them, the Paddle Pickup could never grow to be this large. So Mike, the Bardstown Boaters would like to thank you for all or your hard work and support.

We would like to thank Nelson County for providing all the means needed to remove the bulk garbage from the river.

We would like to thank the Bardstown Rotarians for providing t-shirts for all the volunteers of the Paddle Pickup.

We would like to thank the Bluegrass Tavern and Smith Brothers Distributing for providing us with a new banner for this year's event.

And special thanks goes out to Boy Scout Troops 142 and 147. They came out big for the 2007 Paddle Pickup. Over 20 scouts paddled the river, cleaning it up and removing tons of garbage from it. The Boy Scouts worked very hard on this day and it couldn't have been this great of an effort without them.

This year the Paddle Pickup removed more trash for our local stream bed than ever before. Over 80 tires were among the tons of garbage removed, which includes an old news paper dispenser that has been wasting away down at the Beech Fork for about a decade and of course your standard 20 bags full of beer and soft drink cans.

Sadly we had two blatant displays of disrespect to our river during the Paddle Pickup. A group of eight paddlers putting on at 31E threw down beer cans right in front of a group of volunteers who were removing tires from the river. Also a father son team of polluters threw down their bait container and soft drink cans while they enjoyed fishing at the freshly cleaned rubble dam.

Keep throwing your trash in the river, and we'll keep picking it up. We won't be stopping. One day these idiots will get the message.

If you weren't able to make it out this year, we'll be doing it again next year. It will take place again during the National River Cleanup Week.

Thanks to all our volunteers who helped make our local waterways a better place. We'll see you on the river.

Tags: Paddle Pickup | River Cleanup

The Paddle Pickup is less than a month away! Please mark your calendar for Saturday, June 9th and join us for the 3rd Annual Paddle Pickup. A Bardstown Boaters river cleanup tradition in Bardstown.

We will meet at 9 a.m. at the Beech Fork in Bardstown, KY where 31e crosses the river. Look for our tent to register. Mike Hammons of Central Kentucky Canoe & Kayak will be offering canoes to anyone who would like to paddle during the cleanup. Or if you like you can help in the cleanup on foot on the banks.

Volunteers will receive a free t-shirt for their help. But the best part of the day is seeing all the garbage that we will pull out of the river.

Visit the Paddle Pickup section of our website to learn more about the history of this event.

Tags: Paddle Pickup | Beech Fork | River Cleanup

The Bardstown Boaters Annual Paddle Pickup will be held on June 9th, 2007.Read More...

Tags: Paddle Pickup | River Cleanup

The 2006 Paddle Pickup was a huge success! Read More...

Tags: Paddle Pickup | River Cleanup | Beech Fork

This Saturday was not so much a paddling adventure but was certainly an adventure. I never thought we would have pulled out so many tires and the amount of garbage that we did, but with 32 volunteers we certainly put the dent into the cleanup of the Beech Fork that we were hoping for, and more.



We ran 6 canoes from the fairgrounds to 31E and had 4 wheelers, a tractor and trailer shuttling garbage up the hill at the bridge. We estimate that we pulled out 125 tires and around 1 ton of trash from the river. Next year we might go from 49 bridge to the fairgrounds and do it in May to coincide with the National River Cleanup week.
Everyone put in a lot of hard work this day and the preplanning could not have been more perfectly executed. Also the cookout afterwards was a huge success.

Tags: Paddle Pickup | Beech Fork | Environment