On the Monongahela River

Cleanups suspended for present

2013-07-08T13:19:00.002-07:00

I sold the Monongahela Monitor this past weekend. So, I won't be leading any river cleanups for the present. Can't really do it without a boat.

Here's a couple photos. Going to miss her.

Fireworks on the Fourth

2013-07-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

Sitting on the Mon river in my boat during the fireworks.

Please sign the petition

2013-06-18T06:59:00.004-07:00

We only have 13 days to finish the petition drive, and right now only 120 signatures. That won't impress anyone. Please sign the petition to get the Army Corps of Engineers to the table to discuss how we can use the cranes on the dam to remove litter from the Monongahela River before it goes downstream.

The petition is here:

Here is a blog entry with more information:
http://onthemonongahelariver.blogspot.com/2012/01/whats-up-at-opekiska-dam.html

Well, it didn't happen

2013-06-13T08:42:00.002-07:00

Although I had to rush from the Fondue Factory fund raiser over to the river to catch litter from the "debris release" it didn't happen. And, the Corps of Engineers failed to tell us that it wasn't going to happen, although I had been told that they would release the debris at about 3 p.m. Wednesday.

We had the Monongahela Monitor crewed up and ready to fight litter yesterday evening at 6, but nothing.

I suppose the Corps didn't get as far in their gate inspection, which was the reason for the debris release, as they thought they would. But for crying out loud, why couldn't they let me know? I would have stayed at the Fondue Factory and had a few brews with the river supporters who came last night.

Regardless, here's what I want to say: Thanks to all of you who came to the fundraiser, and to some who couldn't make it but have made donations anyway. After all these years of working hard to keep the Monongahela River clean in our area, it's sure nice to know that support for this kind of effort is building.

Debris situation

2013-06-11T05:18:00.001-07:00

Just heard from the Corps of Engineers that the debris release is today, Wednesday, June 12. I'll be at the fund raiser (see below) at 5 p.m., but plan to be at the marina for a cleanup at 6 p.m. If you are interested in helping with the removal, call me at 304 293-7760. Here's about the last time we did this: http://onthemonongahelariver.blogspot.com/2011/06/debris-release-june-2011.html
The marina is here.

Thanks for your interest!

Eat at the Fondue Factory in Morgantown on June 12

2013-06-04T07:13:00.001-07:00

Have supper at the Fondue Factory Wednesday evening June 12 and help the Mon River Revival's efforts to clean litter from the river.

The Fondue Factory is contributing 15% of every check that evening to help this effort, which began in 2006 to remove litter from the river, educate the public about the issue, and improve it for everyone.

We could certainly use the help. Since the City of Morgantown cut funding because of fiscal issues a couple years ago, I've been paying out of my own pocket for expenses. There's no money to expand the program; so Capt. Tim and his crew is concentrating river cleanups on just the Morgantown area.

It's always been a dream to work the entire river, but that would be costly. So, we're doing what we can. And this Fondue Factory benefit will really be a big help for this year's expenses. Plus the food is great!

Have supper at the Fondue Factory, help the river

2013-05-16T10:44:00.002-07:00

The folks at the Fondue Factory in Morgantown have agreed to share 15% of their profits on Wednesday, June 12, with the Monongahela River Revival. Wow! This could pay some of the bills for our 2013 summer cleanups on the river. So, if you are reading this, think about having a nice Wednesday evening in Morgantown. The Fondue Factory is fun!

Monongahela River Cleanup Schedule, Summer 2013

2013-05-13T11:27:00.001-07:00

If you are interested in going out as part of the crew on the Monongahela Monitor for a cleanup, here's the summer schedule. Usually we leave the dock at 9 a.m. sharp in order to get in before the real hot part of the day. The dock is located here. An you can park nearby at the parking garage.

One thing: Let me know you plan to come. That way, if I need to cancel for any reason (weather, for example) I can call you. Send me an email here.

Sunday, June 2
Sunday, June 16
Saturday, June 29

Sunday, July 7
Sunday, July 21
Sunday, July 28

Saturday, Aug. 10
Saturday, Aug. 24
Saturday, Aug. 31

Sunday, Sept. 8
Saturday, Sept. 21 (this will be an afternoon trip - begins at 3 p.m.) pre-triathlon

First "quickie" cleanup for 2013

2013-05-08T06:37:00.001-07:00

Got out on the Mon with Aaron Sutch of the Mountain Institute last weekend for our first cleanup.

Did the area between Old Lock 10 and the new Morgantown Lock and Dam and also the area near Decker's Creek where we have an information kiosk and litter barrel. That barrel is working real well.

As you can see, Aaron did most of the work.

It was great to get out on the river and see all the activity. One thing I noticed right away this year: kayak fishing is really taking off. We saw three people in kayaks fishing when we brought the boat up from Mark's Marine Repair, where she lays up during the winter. Years ago, none. One person fishing in early May reported landing a 27 inch drum, as the one at left.

By the way, it was nice having Aaron, who is co-chairman of Morgantown's Green Team, aboard. Not only because he understands environmental issues, but also he can also handle the helm for me. Very cool.

2013-04-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

Some years ago I learned that plastic litter is making its way to the oceans where albatross, for some reason, eat it and die. Below is a recent trailer for a new movie my daughter brought to my attention.

I've seen lots of photos of dead albatross, with ingested plastic stuff, but I've never seen one actually dying.

It's pitiful. Midway Island is so far away, yet we are managing to destroy life there.
Midway movie.

Petition to Corps of Engineers

2013-04-18T11:40:00.002-07:00

Lets see if we can get the government to help us out and get the litter out before it comes down river and goes to the Gulf of Mexico. Click here to sign the petition. Please sign the petition!

Here's an old post related to this.

Getting ready for summer

2013-04-12T06:13:00.002-07:00

My river helper Chris with the Monongahela Monitor at Mark's Marine Repair. We got the tarps off her that had covered the boat during the winter, but the top isn't up and in place in this photo.

The Monitor must be laid up each winter for a couple reasons. The 28-foot boat would be a target for large trees that might come down the river in the winter if there's a flood, and also the 130 hp inboard/outboard engine must be drained of water to prevent freezing. It's simply better and safer to have the boat at Mark's during the winter.

Hope to get the boat out this weekend (4/13-14) or next weekend. Then, river cleanups begin in earnest.

Leave a comment, etc, if you want to help out.

Getting the Monongahela Monitor Ready to launch!

2013-04-08T12:01:00.002-07:00

The weather is in our favor now, and I'm taking the tarps off the boat and getting her ready to launch soon!

In the grip of Winter

2013-03-15T11:50:00.002-07:00

I spell Winter with a capital letter,
and acknowledge that in its fatal "grip"
doth downward the soul descend.

Whether light, that lacketh in the Dim
of darkened Days, is the problem,
I'll admit no knowledge,
Or whether a spirit that dwelleth
in light of the Summer's Sun set the anchor so that,
winds who blow in gray winter taketh away our soul, as did the fish
die and disappear and an epoch change,
and the old die, too.

This, it may well be debated, is Time's trick upon us,
that we must bide the hours slowly as if in Infinity, nay! Eternity.

Ah, summer!

2013-01-24T10:33:00.002-08:00

Here are some nice photos sent in by Sue and Jeff from their trip along the river between Morgantown and the Pennsylvania border. Thanks, Sue and Jeff.

The Flatboat Project

2012-12-07T10:24:00.001-08:00

Hey, I'm really excited about the Flatboat Project, sponsored by the Morgantown Museum Commission. We're going to build a flatboat, a common vessel on the Mon River from the late 1700s through much of the 1800s. It will be at the Ruby Memorial Park in Morgantown, very near where the city's original entrepreneur, Michael Kerns, build boats for pioneers traveling west. The Flatboat Project begins on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, with a reception and exhibit at the Morgantown History Museum on Kirk street, 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. Please come.

Monongahela Monitor is in the boatyard for winter

2012-11-02T13:37:00.000-07:00

Got the Monitor into Mark's Marina boatyard just before Sandy hit. End of the season. Did a few cleanups of litter on the river this summer, but mostly concentrated on getting two more kiosks up and establishing the no wake zone for Morgantown. Will miss being out on the Monongahela. Looking forward to next summer.
Thanks for all you support.

Final kiosk installed at Star City

2012-08-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be honest about this: I'm so glad the final kiosk is finished!

After a number of blisters and cuts and bruises and hours and hours of work, the last of three information kiosks is now in place. (Click for larger views of photos).

I want to thank several people who helped make this idea become a fact: That would include Charlie Huguenard and Joe Douglass at Longview Power Plant for funding, Kevin Nuce and Robert Lloyd at Star City for help in site preparation and Mary Davis with Greenspace Coalition for keeping track of expenses. Also thanks to Anthony Giambrone for taking the idea to Star City's leadership for support.

This took longer than I expected, but it's hard to do weekend projects such as river cleanups and kiosk construction and also work for WVU. Regardless: Number one is at Deckers Creek (finished in 2010); number two is at Walnut Street (completed in spring 2012) and the Star City riverfront kiosk is number three (completed in late summer 2012). I can tell you that the one at Deckers Creek (for which Charlie and Joe actually dug post holes) is definitely working: we've emptied the litter barrel several times this summer.

You can see our messages about litter if you click on the photo to enlarge. The left side has a river history, an appeal for better public consciousness about litter, and a no wake notice (regarding the Morgantown no wake zone). The right has DNR information on invasive aquatic fishes and the fish tagging program, sent by Frank Jernejcic of the WV DNR.

Special thanks to Chris Wilson and Biao Qiu who helped with construction and some very tough digging at the Walnut Street location. Aslo Jennie Terman, my daughter, and David Helsabeck helped with the final stages of the Star City installation.

NOTICE: Our river cleanup schedule for September is: Sept 2, Sept. 9, Sept 16. If you want to be part of the crew, let me know. Contact me at tterman@mail.wvu.edu. These will begin at the Morgantown Marina docks at 9 a.m. and we usually finish around 1:30 p.m.

A nice scene

2012-07-24T08:19:00.003-07:00

Last Sunday I took a joy ride on The Monongahela Monitor downriver to the Greer fleet, which is just below the power plant on Beechurst Avenue.

I noticed a motor boat along the west bank across from Deckers Creek with a man, woman and two children. The kids and dad were fishing, quietly sharing some quality time in the shade of the big sycamores and paw-paw trees. I also saw a guy in a kayak fishing. That's something that takes some coordination, I believe. Regardless: it was good to see.

I have often thought of the Mon River at Morgantown as our Cheat Late. People are so into recreation on Cheat Lake, but for those of us who live in Morgantown, well, the river's a lot closer. And now, with our no wake zone from just below the Westover bridge to the lock and dam, it's a lot more peaceful.

An example, pretty good sized cruiser passed me while I was at the Greer fleet at a pretty good clip. He had a jet-ski zooming along behind him. So, I was curious about what would happen when he went around the bend and encountered the no wake buoy.

It was perfect. The jet ski did a couple of doughnuts and they both came about and headed back down the river. Now, just imagine if that buoy and no wake zone were not there. The guy fishing in the kayak and the family fishing along the west bank would have been pounded by the wake of the cruiser and jet ski. I think everyone was well served by our new no wake zone.

Oh, I also watched a heron. These birds seem to pose for me: I came up to one along the west bank across from Ruby McQuain Park and watched it spread its great wings and fly to a branch further upriver. Then, it posed, its long neck and legs, dagger-like beak and top crest, gray and back-lit against the green trees. Then, it flew off again, posing in the air, swooping just above the water, reflecting in the river, to another branch, where, of course, it posed again as my boat overtook it. Herons along the Mon River do this; flying as you approach, then posing, then flying, posing, flying, as your boat get closer again and again.

The folks in fast boats, bouncing everyone around as they pass, don't get to see this. Too bad, I guess.

Hey, maybe I'll see you down at the river!

Anyone lose a pickup bed liner?

2012-07-16T06:35:00.001-07:00

We wondered how something like this bed liner came to be in the Monongahela River. No good answers. It's among the largest items we've pulled out; probably second to the car bumper from a couple years ago. (Click photo to enlarge.)

Anyway, we had a good day of "fishing" for litter on the Mon and really got the Morgantown harbor area looking good. In this photo you see the liner and our other ''catch" with crew members Carol on the left and Hannah on the right.

Thanks, Carol and Hannah. They worked hard, as you can see in this photo, left. Each bottle, Bud Lite can, etc., must be picked up individually. There's no other way. So this is labor intensive, and it takes a real commitment to the environment and the Earth and the Monongahela River, to get this job done.

Below, the crew cleaning up the decks of the Monongahela Monitor back at the dock after our Saturday morning effort.

Litter cleanup this weekend (July 14)

2012-07-12T06:44:00.001-07:00

I've been out of town for a couple weeks, so haven't been able to get out and clean the river. But this Saturday we'll be out. Interested in joining in? Be at the marina at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, July 14. Give me a call and let me know you are coming. 304 292-5087. There may be rain, so I'll need you on the list in case we must cancel.

No wake zone is observed

2012-06-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

On Sunday the river was crowded with bass boats, and I witnessed an amazing sight. During the afternoon the Morgantown Lock gates opened and between 8-10 bass boats emerged, coming down river from fishing in the next pool. They all passed through Morgantown harbor at a slow speed! They were here for a tournament and must have all agreed to observe the no wake zone law.

Thanks to all boaters on the river who are abiding by the new law and no-wake zone! Our river is much safer now - this 3/4 mile section, and we do appreciate those boaters who are helping.

River cleanup before triathlon

2012-06-15T10:19:00.001-07:00

Wow! It's triathlon time in Morgantown, just about.

I've done a river cleanup every year, so let's pull out the calendar and put a big CLEANUP on next Friday, June 22. That's two days before the event on June 24.

The reason for doing this is simple: there will be a lot of visitors to our town all along the river, and I want it to look good.

So, if you are interested in joining the crew of the Monongahela Monitor, our 28 foot riverboat, on Friday, let me know. Send and email to me at info@monriver.org. We will go out for about 3 hours that evening around 5. Back by dark anyway.

Want to help with a donation? You can do that! We have a bunch of costs, including boat maintenance, gas, etc. You can donate here: : http://www.causes.com/cleanmonriver

No wake zone sign is up!

2012-06-07T05:45:00.002-07:00

Here it is, the no wake zone! As we were painting this Wednesday evening a rower went by and shouted, "I love it!"

There are people who are going to complain about this 3/4 mile part of a 127-mile-long river, but, in my opinion, we may have saved that young lady, or another, or a swimmer or kayaker, from death or serious injury by getting this designation through. I've seen a lot of close calls down there on the river. So, let's cool it a little in this area folks. Thanks.

It is state law. Title 58, Series 27, 3.1.6. Just in time for the Arts Alive festival this weekend.

Thanks to Chris Wilson and Biao Qiu (on left) for the help. Also thanks to Mark Wise at BOPARC.

Second kiosk is finished, at last....

2012-06-04T05:55:00.001-07:00

With a grant from the Longview power plant, we have been installing kiosks along the river with historical information and an anti-litter message. We installed one at the mouth of Deckers Creek where there is a beautiful little "peninsula" that often draws people who fish, but who also leave litter behind.

We installed a kiosk there with a litter barrel in late 2010. It works! We emptied the barrel on Memorial Day. It was quite full. People are using it instead of leaving litter on the ground near the river.

Now we have our second at Walnut Street where the boat launch ramp is. We used a high quality outdoor bulletin board for this one, and it looks great. Click the photo to see close up. You can even see the message about how plastic in the river may contribute to the deaths of albatross in the ocean and the photo of the Sunday school group at the Presbyterian church with a banner that says, "Keep Our River Clean; Use the Litter Barrel."

Thanks to Chris Wilson and Biao Qiu, a WVU volunteer from China in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. We did some very hard digging to sink the post for this one, unlike the Deckers Creek kiosk, which was in soft sand.

Our next kiosk will be installed soon at the Star City park, right next to the boat ramp.