River cleanup morphs into family fun

Five mattresses. Four microwaves. Three toilets. These are just a few of the countless items Missouri’s River Relief has removed from the river in the past.

On Saturday, Missouri River Relief worker Steve Schnarr and a group of volunteers will get out on the Big Muddy once again to offer a hand in ridding the river of debris. Some will walk; others will ride in canoes. Starting at 8 a.m., the canoeists will meet at Katfish Katy’s in Huntsdale to partake in “Canoe Clean-Up,” the group’s first clean-up by canoe.

A Columbia family, Tim and Gina Overshiner and their two children, 8-year-old Max and 6-year-old Annarose, plan to launch their canoe, too. Unlike other volunteers, however, they will travel the 18 miles to Huntsdale a day early — by bike. Gina and the children have signed up to participate in the Low-Car Diet Challenge, a month-long challenge sponsored by Columbia’s Pedestrian ­­and Pedaling Network to promote active travel around Columbia.

“It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a long time and decided to make a big camping weekend of it,” Gina Overshiner said. She hopes the kids have fun and are able to see that “one or a few people can make a difference, even if you are a little kid.”

The Overshiners plan to camp Friday evening in Huntsdale, wake up early Saturday to help clean the river and camp again Saturday evening. They will then bike back home to Columbia on Sunday. River Relief has arranged to shuttle their canoe down to the river for them.

Organizers expect a lower participation this weekend than in previous clean-ups, because it will be their first clean-up by canoe.

“It’s really a little tricky to canoe on the Missouri,” Schnarr said. “We wanted to only have people with (canoeing) experience.”

River Relief usually does a full media blitz for its clean-up events, he said. This time, however, they targeted people they know, such as canoe and kayak clubs in the area, relying on word-of-mouth to gather volunteers.

Volunteers often range from children to individuals in their 30s and 40s. Families like the Overshiners also often participate, taking advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors while helping the environment.

“It should be good for the kids because they like nature and want to help the environment,” Gina Overshiner said.