Stewards of the White Oak River Basin: October 2006

All three creeks are close by in Jacksonville. They need your tender loving care!

It took us three days to cover Hancock and Cahooque creeks. Here is the third and latest paddle. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have. We are sorry we do not have more pictures for you.

Just click on this and imagine you are paddling with us.

We are striving to keep our rivers clean and clear of all litter and trash and also to make them clear of all obstructions so the public may explore them for their entire navigable length and thus make full use of them. Each creek is another tourist attraction.

Each river has its very own natural beauty. As we paddle downstream the views are constantly changing. Each bend or twist or turn presents a new picture.

One ugly piece of trash destroys the natural beauty of the picture like a slash or smudge or tear would do to a master piece painting.

Come help us keep our rivers clean. Just show up at 9:00 at the Marina Cafe in Jacksonville this Wednesday. Thanks, Elmer.

Elmer Eddy

Elmer, The White Oak River Trashman
Stewards of The White Oak River Basin
101 River Reach Drive West,
Swansboro, NC. 28584
910-389-4588 e-mail: "
Please visit our website: www.whiteoakstewards.org
"If no one litters, there will be no litter!”

# posted by Elmer @ 21:33 0 Comments Links to this post

http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dgfq35sf_161hp23r9

Click on the above to see our report on this most enjoyable paddle. Elmer

# posted by Elmer @ 09:13 0 Comments Links to this post

2006-10-18 Cahooque Creek

The early morning rains ceased by the time we reached the Wildlife Ramp

in Croatan Forest at the confluence of Hancock Creek and Cahooque Creek.

These creeks empty into the Neuse River. We dropped our canoes and kayaks in the water and enjoyed an excellent day of paddling on this lovely creek. We picked up all trash we encountered but there was very little.

We saw no alligator weed beds like we discovered on Hancock Creek. Ehren Gross did see an alligator.

We paddled up Cahooque until we were stopped by blown down trees

blocking the way. We must have been very close to Rte 306, the ferry

road. It would appear that a canoe access here is possible if the creek

was cleared of these obstructing trees. We still had good water.

That is our canoe on the left.

This picture is taken looking down at the water. In other words what you see is a reflection. The water was perfectly calm. It made for gorgeous

reflections of the clouds and the trees on the shorelines.

The date on the photos should read 2006/10/18!!!

Cahooque Creek is not as wild as we thought. This is the very first sign of civilization. There was another house about a hundred yards upstream.

More reflections in the water.

One of many white beautiful blooming bushes.

One of the many old cypress stumps. This one has young cypress growing all over it.

Two more old cypress stumps.

These are examples of new growth cypress trees dying. Most all such cypress along this creek are dying.

We wonder why?

More of those very pretty white bushes.

Jim Morris heading home past the one dock with the house back in the woods.

Sorry, this picture got lost.

That is Jim Moris of Morehead City again heading down Still Gut, which is a tributary of Cahooque Creek. He is in his homemade plywood canoe. that is Ehren Gross of Morehead City waving in Sparky. The prow of the canoe with the orange trash bag is occupied by Elmer Eddy of Swansboro and in the rear Dale Weston of Jacksonville.

The above picture got lost too.

We want to go back and explore both shore lines of Hancock Creek down to

the Neuse River and Still Gutt and Reeds Creek and another unnamed

tributary.

2006-10-25, Hancock Creek revisited

Yes we are going back to the Cahooque Creek ramp at the confluence of Hancock and Cahooque Creeks. We will cruise along the south shore to the Neuse River. On the way back we will paddle up three side creeks. The first is unnamed. The next is Reeds Creek and the third is another Still Gut.This should finish up our exploration of these two creeks and their tributaries and leave them cleared of all litter.

We will meet at the ramp at 9:30. We expect to be off the water by 3:00. Join us if you can. This should be a most interesting and enjoyable paddle with excellent weather predicted. Elmer

Elmer Eddy

Elmer, The White Oak River Trashman
Stewards of The White Oak River Basin
101 River Reach Drive West,
Swansboro, NC. 28584
910-389-4588 e-mail: "
Please visit our website: www.whiteoakstewards.org
"If no one litters, there will be no litter!”

# posted by Elmer @ 08:58 0 Comments Links to this post

Click on this to join us in an exciting and most enjoyable trip on this
lovely Creek. The cleanest creek we have ever paddled! Elmer

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgfq35sf_108dqdvbm

# posted by Elmer @ 08:43 0 Comments Links to this post

2006-10-04 Big Sweep, Sharks Tooth Island, on the White Oak River and the Intra Coastal Waterway at the Waterfronts of Swansboro and Cedar Point, Noth Carolina

We circled Sharks Tooth Island and got it clean for the first time in years. We had it clean in 2001.

Subsequent hurricanes are responsible for the "Construction and Demolition" materials.

The public is responsible for the rest of the trash and litter. This is the fourth time we have tried to

clean up this small island this year. Seniors from Swansboro High School helped us once and Boy Scouts

from Hubert another time.

Left to right: Ken Jobe from Beaufort, Will Stanley from Bear Creek, Julia Miner from Araphoe, Jim Morris from Morehead, and Ed Gruca from Emerald Isle and to whom we say thanks for this panorama of Swansboro and Cedar Point waterfronts and most of these pictures.

Scroll across for a panorama of Swansboro.

This was our view from Sharkstooth Island as we enjoyed our lunch on the ICW.

Elmer Eddy of Swansboro with his trash barge.

Jim Morris always seems to wind up with the big stuff! Will Stanley on the left.

Our third load of trash! We unloaded five or six times

Winds and high tides deposit the trash way back from the shore line.

Ken on the left and Will on the right.

Gloves are a good idea! Ken Jobe found this!

We released it. Yes, it is a black widow spider who was in a pile of broken timbers.

Ouch! That is a nettle with porcupine like quills.

See the nails in those boards. Is this how we want to

greet our tourists and their children? Stepping on the these and broken

glass can spoil their vacation. They could play "kick the can" all over!

There is a lot of this stuff on Sugarloaf Island, Morehead City's Park.

We had it cleaned up once with the help of the Marines from Cherry Point.

Who is going to do it this time? Is Big Sweep going to get it?
There is a large illegal landfill dump on cemetery property on the shore of

The Newport River off Crab Point Loop Road. We cannot remove this dump.

We have been unsuccessful in getting Carteret County to do it.

It is a health hazard and a fire hazard and a turn off for tourists using this

access on the Newport River which is the only one on the Newport River

between Morehead and Newport. Can you imagine this on Bogue Sound?

It is ok though on the Newport River!

Will tows another catch!

Thank you Don Redfearn of the Town of Cedar Point. He

hauled our trash away for us. There are still a few very large timbers

on the island which were above and beyond our ability to move them.

We need to call in the Marines again or Riverines! Otherwise it will stay there forever.

This effort was on Behalf of Big Sweep. This is exactly what needs to be

done on Sugarloaf Island, a City Park in Morehead City Harbor, and on

Brandt Island across the water and on Shackleford Banks and Taylors

Creek We know of no plans for this for Big Sweep this year and this is a

crying shame. The public needs to get with Big Sweep and

CLEAN UP ALL AREAS EVERYWHERE! Or we could use our Tourism Dollars to do it.

Big Sweep 2006 is right now progress. Please pick up wherever you are now. Report what you or your group does and we will report it to Big Sweep for you if you wish.

Elmer, The White Oak River Trashman

Stewards of The White Oak River Basin

101 River Reach Drive West,

Swansboro, NC. 28584

910-389-4588 e-mail:

Please visit our website: www.whiteoakstewards.org "

"IF NO ONE LITTERS, THERE WILL BE NO LITTER"

# posted by Elmer @ 07:31 0 Comments Links to this post

Please clean up right now with Big Sweep, International Coastal Clean UP, Clean Sweep. Let's get rid of trash and litter everywhere. Elmer