![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vailvalleypartnership.com\/fa-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/IMG_4898-300x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
EDWARDS, Colo. \u2013 June 10, 2019 \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Driving home on April 13th, looking at the tumultuous sky, I thought to myself, \u2018these moments in life are rare.\u2019 As I reflected on the day, I was amazed by the efforts of a group of intrepid volunteers who gave up one of the last powder days of the season to come clean up their river. On that day about 30 local citizens came out to help Eagle River Watershed Council \u2013 using their own boats, tarps & tools, and plenty of their sweat and muscle \u2013 to remove degrading tires from the river.<\/p>\n The tires that had sat in the river bed for decades were pulled from the river and collected over last summer and fall by some amazing local citizens. Vik Raol recounts how it all came about, \u201cWhile rafting near the confluence of Lake Creek on the Eagle River our daughter, Suri (6 yrs old at the time), asked \u2018why are there so many tires in the river? Isn\u2019t that bad for the fish? We should get them out of here… it makes our river look dirty and it can\u2019t be good for the river.\u2019\u00a0Of course one always wants to support their children so we said \u2018let\u2019s do it\u2019, not knowing yet what was involved…That was in 2016\/2017. We knew removing a few tires wouldn\u2019t do for Suri, she wanted all of them out!\u201d<\/p>\n The Raol\u2019s contacted the Army Corps of Engineers and Eagle River Watershed Council for help. Due to concerns about stirring up metals and significant sediment from the river bottom, it took another year filled with numerous calls, meetings, and visits to decide how to proceed with minimal impact on the ecosystem, but in late spring 2018, the Raol\u2019s got approval to start removing the tires.<\/p>\n \u201cWe thought there might be 50 or so – we were so wrong about that!\u00a0After we removed a few with Suri on her paddle board spotting them, she kept finding more and more,\u201d said Raol.<\/p>\n The Raol\u2019s quickly realized they needed more help and reached out to their neighbors Greg and Stephanie Keogh, who were happy to be involved.<\/p>\n When all was said and done, the Raol\u2019s and Keogh\u2019s spent months pulling over 180 tires out of the river, as well as cans, metal stakes, an engine block, plastic tarps, and shoes. The tires came in all shapes and sizes (Ford Model T, tractor, car, and\u00a0motorcycle), many still attached to the rim, which made them difficult to remove and required the Raol\u2019s and Keogh\u2019s to come up with a hook and pulley system to pull them from the river. As they worked, they collected all of the tires on a sandbar.<\/p>\n The effort to remove the collected tires from that sandbar in April was a prime example of collaboration and people coming together to achieve a common goal.\u00a0 Without the generous use of boats from Vail Valley Anglers, the Watershed Council\u2019s board of directors, and other local citizens, the tires would have been flushed downstream with spring runoff. With trucks provided by GE Johnson, the Town of Avon, and Kim & Tom Davies, local homeowners, we were able to move the tires to a secure location provided by Eagle River Water & Sanitation District.<\/p>\n Not only was this an exemplary collaborative project, it was an enjoyable community gathering. Local school kids, teachers, anglers and guides, nonprofits, municipalities, and local citizens came together to complete the project. Susan Raol said of the tire removal day in April, \u201cThe event was fun and so rewarding! Watching Suri, seeing all those who came to help, and the six rafts in the river loaded with the tires that cold snowy morning was amazing and an experience she will never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vailvalleypartnership.com\/fa-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/Z212-1024x494.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vailvalleypartnership.com\/fa-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/Z203-1024x678.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vailvalleypartnership.com\/fa-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/IMG_4905-300x300.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vailvalleypartnership.com\/fa-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/IMG_4912-225x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vailvalleypartnership.com\/fa-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/Z54-1024x452.jpg\")
<\/p>\n