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‘Junk spotters’ tag areas along river that need cleaned up

Along with Schroeder is Rhett Roher, a Little Miami Inc. board member and owner of River’s Edge Canoe Livery in Waynesville; Aaron Rourk, Adopt-a-Trail coordinator for the Friends of the Little Miami Trail; Dale Mowry, member of the Buckeye United Fly Fishermen Club; David Hershberger, owner of Premier Travel Agency; Matt Taulbee, a Cincinnati attorney and paddling advocate; and Eric Partee, executive director of Little Miami Inc

Submitted Along with Schroeder is Rhett Roher, a Little Miami Inc. board member and owner of River’s Edge Canoe Livery in Waynesville; Aaron Rourk, Adopt-a-Trail coordinator for the Friends of the Little Miami Trail; Dale Mowry, member of the Buckeye United Fly Fishermen Club; David Hershberger, owner of Premier Travel Agency; Matt Taulbee, a Cincinnati attorney and paddling advocate; and Eric Partee, executive director of Little Miami Inc

Submitted Warren County Park Commissioner Bill Schroeder and a group of men prepare for their trip Monday, May 11, down the Little Miami River.

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By Rich Gillette, Staff Writer Updated 6:49 PM Wednesday, May 13, 2009

A project launched this week by a group aimed at protecting the Little Miami River may help keep the scenic waterway clean for years to come.

Armed with global position satellite technology, six men took off in kayaks Monday, May 11, from the Jacoby Road Public Access near Yellow Springs to “geotag” or mark areas on the river that need cleanup.

Dubbed the “junk spotters,” the men have paddled for the past four days on the state and nationally protected river through four counties, including Warren County, to where it ends in the Ohio River.

The group is using technology that enables a small portable GPS to be affixed to the flash attachment connection on a camera to mark the exact location of each picture that is taken. When the picture is downloaded to a computer, along with the GPS data, a matching process enables each picture to be “tagged” and mapped at the exact location, according to Warren County Park Commissioner Bill Schroeder, who is heading the project.

“It is expected that hundreds of pictures of refuse hot spots will mapped, enabling the data to be shared with local volunteers that are willing to make the effort required to clean them up,” Schroeder said.

The idea started last fall when Schroeder and a group noticed trash or debris along the river bank during a trip.

“That trip revealed that along with the natural beauty, there remain numerous places where junk, tires, automobiles and trash still remain, as a disturbing distraction to an otherwise near perfect vista,” he said.

On Monday, May 11, Schroeder took on water in his kayak as he was maneuvering and came in contact with an a old bridge pylon.

On board with him was more than $1,000 in camera and GPS equipment.

“I was more concerned with the equipment, but that’s why you put it in waterproof boxes,” Schroeder said.

Along with Schroeder is Rhett Roher, a Little Miami Inc. board member and owner of River’s Edge Canoe Livery in Waynesville; Aaron Rourk, Adopt-a-Trail coordinator for the Friends of the Little Miami Trail; Dale Mowry, member of the Buckeye United Fly Fishermen Club; David Hershberger, owner of Premier Travel Agency; Matt Taulbee, a Cincinnati attorney and paddling advocate; and Eric Partee, executive director of Little Miami Inc.

On the first day, the men paddled for more than 10 hours and stopped at the River’s Edge Canoe Livery in Waynesville. On Tuesday, they made their next stop at Morgan’s Campground near Morrow.

During the first half of their trip, the men were surprised at the small amount of junk or trash they found along the river. Schroeder said they logged about 150 “geotags” or locations where items like tires or metal items like washing machines were found.

“I was really amazed at how pristine the river is,” Hershberger said.

In 2007, after more than 40 years of work by volunteers, Schroeder said the Little Miami River met water quality standards set by the U.S. EPA. He said the goal is to keep it that way.

“There’s 38 miles of this river in Warren County. It’s one of the most important things we have and people need to take ownership of it,” Schroeder said.

With Warren County’s growth in housing and retail development, Schroeder hopes the project will keep the importance of the river in people’s minds.

“Everyone needs to realize everything that is thrown out can eventually reach its way to the river,” he said.

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