Living Lands & Waters Barge Party Is Next Week
The Living Lands and Waters Barge Party date has been announced for the summer of 2022.
Living Lands and Waters, started by Quad-City native Chad Pregracke, is known to be the only "industrial strength" river cleanup organization. The organization travels the Mississippi River, pulling debris and trash from the waterways.
Since the founding of the organization, the group has involved over 120,000 volunteers who have helped to remove 12,663,579.
Their workshops, which teach students and adults alike the importance of maintaining our waterways, and open eyes to the pollution problem they see every day, have reached 11,300 students.
Living Lands and Waters Barge Party shows the highlights of the year's recoveries, showing anything and everything you could possibly find floating or sunk to the bottom of the Mississippi River. Items vary from cars, mattresses, mannequins, you name it, they've found it.
The Barge Party will kick off the organization's 25th anniversary. The event takes place on June 16th at Schweibert Riverfront Park in Rock Island.
Living Lands and Waters is looking for some local artists to donate artwork for a silent auction during the party, benefiting the organization.
"We are encouraging artists to donate an environmental theme-artwork made from natural, repurposed or recycled materials, but all donations and media are appreciated," they wrote in a Facebook post.
Stop by, see what of our own has accomplished to help the river we all know and love.
Chad Pregracke is also spearheading the project of the Bison Bridge, which will take over the I-80 river bridge.
His plans, at a very basic explanation, would turn the bridge into a national park, allowing Bison a place to roam, graze, and live in an area where they used to roam freely.