A river clean-up is scheduled for this coming March 5 near Eminence to honor the lives of the Eugene and Marcus Maggard. The Maggard family was instrumental in the development of modern canoeing within what became the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Eugene was an integral part of the Red Bag program to distribute free trash bags to all floaters within the park.
Eugene’s son, Marcus, was also very supportive of the litter-collection program. Both sadly passed earlier this winter. Registration for the event begins at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Jack’s Fork Campground on Hwy 106 just east of Eminence. Trash bags and work gloves will be provided at no cost, as will an old-fashioned river camp meal at 1 p.m. also at the campground. There will be a limited number of canoes and kayaks available for volunteers, so please call to request. Volunteers are welcome to bring their own watercraft.
The campground will be cleaned up, as well as the Jacks Fork River from Eminence to Two Rivers, a distance of roughly eight miles. Volunteers can work from the gravel bars and river access points or utilize canoes, kayaks, or jonboats to float the river and collect debris. There will be prizes awarded for the most trash collected, the largest group of volunteers, and for the volunteer traveling the farthest.
There will be a $1,000 grand prize for most trash collected by a group or organization awarded due to the generosity of two Salem businesses. Tammie Richardson of the Salem License Office and her husband Doil Richardson of MO In-State Transport are each donating $500 to make this possible. “We love the river and the Maggards and understand this is one of the more trashed sections of river. We hope this helps!” said Tammie.
All participants are encouraged to register, but anyone interested in claiming this prize must register at the Jacks Fork Campground to lock in their eligibility. There is still a great deal of metal debris in this section of stream and gravel bars. To be competitive, teams should bring appropriate tools and equipment to remove partially-buried sheet metal and other large items.
All volunteers will receive a free stream team t-shirt. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own snacks for the early morning work and wear clothing appropriate to the tasks ahead. In the event of extreme weather, the make-up will be March 19.
For more information, contact Judy (Maggard) Stewart at 573-247-8706 or Rick Mansfield (OHP) at 573-663-2269. All participation is welcomed! This will be a wonderful way to honor these and all lives that have been dedicated to these beautiful Ozark streams, as well as honor the waters themselves. And perhaps win a truly grand prize!
