WATER WARRIOR FIGHTS ON.Chad Pregracke single-handedly began cleaning up the Mississippi River Mississippi River River, central U.S. It rises at Lake Itasca in Minnesota and flows south, meeting its major tributaries, the Missouri and the Ohio rivers, about halfway along its journey to the Gulf of Mexico. in 1997 (see "Captain Cleanup of the Mississippi," In Brief, November/December 1998). Since then, a handful of paid assistants and scores of volunteers have helped him remove more than 500 tons of trash from American waterways. They have scoured 1,400 miles of the Mississippi from St. Louis to Guttenberg, Iowa Guttenberg is a city in Clayton County, Iowa, United States, along the Mississippi River. The population was 1,987 at the 2000 census. History Prairie La Porte, meaning "the door to the prairie," was the first name given to Guttenberg by French explorers in 1673. , and removed garbage from 435 miles of the Illinois River Illinois River River, northeastern Illinois, U.S. Formed by the junction of the Des Plaines River and Kankakee River in Illinois, it flows southwest across the state, joining the Mississippi River after a course of 273 mi (440 km). . In 1998, Pregracke created the nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. Living Lands and Waters, and he established the Adopt-A-Mississippi River Mile Project, which has motivated individuals and groups to become long-term conservation stewards. The Ohio River Beautification beau·ti·fy tr. & intr.v. beau·ti·fied, beau·ti·fy·ing, beau·ti·fies To make or become beautiful. beau and Restoration Project was launched in October 2000 with the goal of cleaning 981 miles from Cairo, Illinois to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Numerous community cleanups are also planned, which should attract hundreds of volunteers. Pregracke has been adding equipment and corporate sponsors with hopes of tackling more rivers in the future. CONTACT: Living Lands and Waters, (309)496-9848, www.cleanrivers.com. |
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