Heroes of Conservation:July 2009

Improving rivers with a kayak, a camera, a GPS, and a bit of online ingenuity
Mike D. Anderson, Crystal, Minn.

Anderson, a fisherman and kayaker, has created an online inventory, complete with maps, of all the refuse he and his wife, Julie, come across on over 50 miles of the St. Croix and Mississippi River shorelines (cleanuptheriver.com . "We float the rivers, mark each item with a digital snapshot and GPS waypoint, then upload the data," Anderson says. "That allows us to do targeted cleanups." For example, last fall he and a group of volunteers removed and recycled 885 pounds of scrap iron from the Mississippi River in one day. Anderson plans to expand his operation to cover hundreds more miles of other rivers and lakes.

Putting the Prairie back in "Prairie chicken"
steve Mowry, Trimble, Mo.

As then-president of the Prairie Foundation, Mowry spearheaded an effort to acquire and turn private leases into prime prairie chicken habitat in Missouri. Tens of thousands of the birds once lived in the state, but they now number fewer than 500 because of predation and habitat loss, according to Mowry. They prefer nesting in short grasses, but tall fescues have overrun the state. "I started by meeting with Premium Standard Farms in 2005, which agreed to lease 800 acres of land in a key area for 0 years at no cost. We now have over 3,000 acres of leases."

Scouting out ways to save fish
Robert H. Richmond III, Lockport, Ill.

When Richmond, 7, saw that fish in Turtlehead Lake were disappearing, he secured a donation of PVC pipes and started building fish habitat. "The lake was man-made and lacked natural structure," he explains. "I used PVC because old Christmas trees and the like break down and need to be replaced every few years." Richmond installed 45 structures for walleyes, bass, catfish, and panfish, earning Eagle Scout honors. He's also led efforts to recycle monofilament waste and remove invasive species, and he's now starting a high school Green Club.

See Previous Heroes from:

Finalists Gale Dupree John Walther Bob Capron Nancy Craft Gordon and Terri Southwick Les Monostory Previous Months November September August July June May April March February	Finalists Howard Kern William Edwards Derek Fong Billy Sandifer Mark Taylor Jon Hillmer Previous Months November September August July June May April March February	Finalists Hod Kosman Chad Pregracke Andy Batcho Jim Tripp and Sandra Millan-Tripp Dale Rollins Charles Lane Previous Months November September August July June May April March February	Finalists Brian Maguire Joan Vernon Philip Babe Harlan Kredit Chris Scalley Robert Miles Previous Months November September August July June May April March February
Finalists Paul Morrow Jim Cummins Jeff Olson Ronnie Luster Steve Simmons Chris Tompkins Previous Months September August July June May April March February January