14 JULY 2019 • FOGHORN FOGHORNFOCUS: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES and 70’s. Like many other urban rivers in the United States, the Charles has seen a resurgence in popularity and rec- reational activity over the past 20 years. Thanks to many grassroots environ- mental organizations like the Clean Up Boat, our nation’s waterways are now becoming destinations safe for all to enjoy. Once unthinkable, the Charles is now home to canoe, paddle board and kayak rental companies sharing the waterway with, college rowing teams, commercial passenger vessels, and rec- reational fishermen. In 2004, when Tom first started vol- unteering, a heavy rain would cause so much floating debris to flow downriver to Boston that the river would be filthy and it would take a several days for the trash to be collected. “Now,” Tom said, “we can get it back under control in about a day.” It took less than six hours for Tom and I to fill our first three garbage bags with numerous parking tickets, plastic bottles, soda cans, a bright The European World Leader, proudly serving America's finest ! Reservations, Check-In, Port Automation, ePoS Reservations, Check-In, Port Automation, ePoS We care about your Customers Worldwide, we serve over 33 million passengers, 5 million vehicles and over a million cargo units annually. From whale watching to fine dining and from bay crossings to ocean voyages; Carus has the answer. www.carus.com The European World Leader, yellow softball, food wrappers, and my personal favorite, a pregnancy test. So along with four big pieces of driftwood, a car floormat, some Home Depot pink insulation, and more Fireball nips than I could drink in a weekend, we delivered approximately 50 pounds of trash to the Department of Conservation and Recreation for proper disposal. I asked Tom if they keep track of how many pounds of trash they’ve removed and the answer was no. I decided to do a little math and try to get a very rough estimate. The Clean Up Boat Operates ap- proximately 80 days a year, and each day they bag up 50 pounds of trash. By my calculations, over the last 14 years, the Charles River Clean Up Boat has removed approximately 56,000 pounds of pollution! Unfortunately, Tom McNichol, the founder of the Clean Up Boat, passed away last year but before he died, he reached out to my boss, Cindy, and asked if she would take over as President and keep The Charles River Clean Up Boat operating. Of course, she agreed and now with Jonathan Burke, VP of Operations at Boston’s Museum of Science serving as Clean Up Boat VP, and Jim Healy, Boston Duck Tours History Officer serving as Clean Up Boat Secretary and Treasurer, a very committed group of Captains and Volunteers the Charles River Clean Up Boat will continue to operate for the foreseeable future. n To learn more about the Charles River Clean Up boat or to make a donation to help support this great organization go to www.cleanupboat.org About the Author Bob Lawler is the General Manager of Boston Duck Tours and the 2019 PVA President. Prior to joining Boston Duck Tours, he worked for Entertainment Cruises, Odyssey Cruises, and Spirit Cruises in a number of positions, starting out as a seasonal deckhand at Bay State Cruises in Boston during college. He's been actively involved in PVA since 2008 when he began serving on the PVA Safety and Security Committee.