Paddlers Remove More than 5,000 pounds of Trash from Minnesota Rivers
Granite Gear sponsored Minnesotan adventurers, Paul Twedt and Michael Anderson, completed phase two of the Three Rivers Expedition.
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Two Harbors, MN – August 10, 2017
On July 27th, 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 tires, 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 27th 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 15th. 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 our 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,” Adventure Stewardship Alliance Founder, Paul Twedt says. “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,” says 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.”
Photos and/or video of the expedition team can be obtained below or at Adventurestewardship.org, or from social media sites linked on their website. Interviews with Adventure Stewardship Alliance founders will be available as they paddle the river or upon completion.
To schedule an interview or photo/video shoot, please contact Paul Twedt at 952.334.1085, or adventurestewards@gmail.com.
About Adventure Stewardship Alliance:
Adventure Stewardship Alliance is dedicated to inspiring stewardship for the environment by cleaning up litter and connecting communities along the rivers and public lands that they value. Adventure Stewardship Alliance is partnered with local Minnesota companies: Urban Boatbuilders for canoes, Sisters Camelot for food, and Granite Gear for portage packs, backpacks and stuffsacks. Other supporters from the outdoor recreation industry include REI, GearJunkie, Sierra Designs, Astral Designs, Bending Branches, and Zeal Optics. Environmental partners include Packing It Out. For more information, visit https://adventurestewardship.org/.
About Granite Gear
For 31 years, Granite Gear has brought cutting-edge products to the outdoor marketplace. Their award-winning backpacks, adventure travel gear, extensive variety of storage sacks, lifestyle accessories, and canoe gear offer excellence in design and construction. Granite Gear’s desire is for all outdoor enthusiasts and travelers to experience the incredible durability and comfort of their products. Located in Northern Minnesota, just minutes from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Superior Hiking Trail, they have a rugged and beautiful testing ground for their products.
