By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The phrase river rat has many definitions, some good, some bad. It's been a good thing around Great Bend. The River Rats have almost become synonymous with the Central Kansas Offroad Association. While they often use the river and surrounding area for recreational purposes, they also do much of the trash pickup. River Rats Founder Shanna Meeks said the situation is still almost impossible.
"I've been in several meetings with the city and county," she said. "There's nothing they can do other than lock the gate to the entrance at Stone's. If they do that, and there's an accident, it's a lot more time-consuming for EMS or the sheriff's department to get to any of those people that have the accidents. It is frustrating for us that go down there all the time because we're picking up everybody else's trash."
In 2017, approximately 60 members of the Great Bend River Rats volunteered to pick up trash along the river for two days. Nelson Stone donated several industrial dumpsters to use for the cleanup, and the city of Great Bend paid landfill fees. The Army Corps of Engineers showed up to promote the cleanup.
The results were not encouraging. The group filled two of the large containers with trash from Diversion Dam alone, then filled another with garbage between Diversion Dam and the Radium Bridge. Volunteers pulled trailers behind their own vehicles or walked the river, filling an additional two or three containers. One was filled with nothing but discarded tires.
While several small cleanups have taken place since 2017, and Meeks said it's common to fill two or three 55-gallon backs of trash during weekly visits, the trash continues to be an eyesore for those who want to get out and enjoy nature.
"I don’t go down to the river a ton, but when I do it’s a nice little escape," said Kyle Whitlow. "When it’s full of trash, it can be pretty disheartening. I’d like to see people take more pride in where they live and have common courtesy to their fellow citizens. We are called to be good stewards of the blessings we have, so we need to act like it."
Boundaries and responsibilities surrounding the river can be tricky. Meeks continues to work with Scott Keeler with the city of Great Bend and county officials to organize another big cleanup this spring.
"With it being winter right now and it's really cold, it's hard to get everybody together," she said. "It takes an army to get this done. It's not just a one-person show. I make all the contacts and put it out there, and whoever wants to come help can come help."