On July 27, two Granite Gear sponsored Minnesotan adventurers, Paul Twedt and Michael Anderson, completed phase two of the Three Rivers Expedition. Paddling for 40 days and 539 miles, they have removed 5,719 pounds of trash from the upper Mississippi watershed. Litter collected includes a bowling ball, a 100-pound semi-truck tire, a push-fertilizer spreader, an old snow thrower and a car axle.
The duo completed the first phase of their Three Rivers Expeditions on the Namekagon/St. Croix Riverway on June 27 and successfully cleaned up 736 pounds of litter in 15 days. The third phase of the expedition will be on the Mississippi River beginning September 15. The expedition will conclude in late October, after hosting a cleanup event at Fort Snelling State Park as the team paddles and cleans up the Mississippi river along its first 600 miles in Minnesota.
Twedt and Anderson founded Adventure Stewardship Alliance and represent the organization’s mission of acting as stewards of public waterways, inspiring a deeper sense of connection and care for natural environments and public waterways. They believe litter isn’t one person’s problem, it’s everyone’s problem, and they aim to make an impact on that issue.
“We aim to serve as a positive inspiration of caring for our environment by taking action to leave the places we visit better than we found them,” Twedt said. “We need local volunteers to help us take the litter we collect from landings and boat launches that lack trash services. This work takes a community and we aim to connect people around stewarding precious water resources in Minnesota.”
“We’re proud to support such a hard-working team that has high ambitions to clean up Minnesota’s waterways and build a community around these necessary actions,” said Rob Coughlin, VP of Granite Gear. “Paul and Michael are delightful people who have the ability to get others on board to get active about protecting our wild places.”
Photo courtesy Adventure Stewardship Alliance
