Minnesota Rivers Revitalization, Inc.

In 2000, Bob approached the Minnesota DNR's Adopt-a-River Program and asked what could be done to clean up the Mississippi River in this area. He became one of the program's most ardent supporters and became involved in initiatives of the Audubon Society's Upper Mississippi River Campaign, and Living Lands and Waters, Inc. Around Red Wing, Bob also started a personal bag distribution and education campaign. Almost everyone Bob sees along the river is handed some Adopt-a-River bags, told of the problems facing the Mississippi River, and asked to clean up any garbage they find while enjoying the river.

Those efforts certainly were a good start. However, in order to truly impact the quality of the Mississippi River Basin a much more extensive, organized effort was needed. On January 8, 2005, Bob, along with other individuals committed to improving the environment in and along the river, formed a non-profit organization, Minnesota Rivers Revitalization, Inc. MRRI is commited to organizing river cleanup projects from Minneapolis to Wabasha, MN. Over the past 2 years MRRI has cleaned up over 126 tons of trash. A large portion of the clean up items included heavy objects such as refrigerators, water tanks, and abandoned boats ranging in size up to 50 feet. These are things that are too large for most local clean up campaigns.