Erica Shanks was in Milwaukee, Wis., for a water and climate conference Sept. 26, but all she could think about was the weather back home. She needed to get home.

Erica Shanks was in Milwaukee, Wis., for a water and climate conference Sept. 26, but all she could think about was the weather back home. She needed to get home.
“Ella at 7 loved the gentle rapids but yearned to be released from our ‘stay in the inner tube’ rule.”
Started in 2011, the Green River Spring Cleaning has grown every year, with ever more participants paddling in to cover the Lower Green and the Upper Green. “Our goal is to work the entire Green River, from Lake Summit to Lake Adger, about 30 miles,” Benedict says. “That’s a lot, but I believe we can do it.”
At noon this past Saturday, 121 racers set off down the Green River Narrows in Henderson and Polk Counties. Battling cold November waters, paddlers fought for the top times in seven different categories: Long K-1 (single paddler – long kayak), K-1W (single paddler – women’s division), C-1 (sprint canoe), K-1 hand paddlers, Short K-1, Short K-1W and open canoe.