Rockford resident Andrew Kersting has been organizing the annual Rogue River Cleanup from the Rockford Dam down to Childsdale Ave. since he was in his early teens. This year, after walking the proposed route with Nicole DeMol of Trout Unlimited, who is leading the Home Rivers Initiative, and Rogue River Project director Andrew Kersting decided to cancel the event for this summer due to the lack of trash on the Rogue.
Kersting said he would like to think his dedication in getting the word out about not “trashing” the Rogue may be part of the reason the Rogue looks so clean this summer.
Kersting began his clean up events after an injury made him realize at a young age that you never know what life has in store for you and that you should do as much good as you can while you are able to. Over the years Kersting has had support from D&W Fresh Market of Rockford, which has supplied trash bags and water, and AAA Canoe Rental. BC Pizza of Belmont and the Rockford Corner Bar have provided Kersting’s group of volunteers with a great lunch for their hard work. Celebration! Cinema and the Coopersville & Marne Railway have provided great items to be given away to volunteers after the event.
The Rogue River Cleanup is scheduled to take place again in the spring of 2013. For this year, a big thanks goes to those on the Rogue River who took their trash out with them and to all the people who, like Kersting, give back by donating their time and effort for a very beautiful cause.
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