An 85-year-old Michigan man is fighting on for the river he loves, the St. Joseph in southern Michigan. Al Smith is the founder of the Friends of the St. Joe River Association; his volunteer work began after watching changes in the health of the river that he’s observed during his time in the area. Smith relates how polluted the river was before their efforts to clean up the pollution:

“I can’t tell you what this river system looked like when I first started [at what is now the Association] in 1994. Oh, I had seen it before, but only driving by and at a glance. You have to walk the banks of the river to see what I’m talking about. When you make that walk, you see soiled diapers laying in the water, you see trash hidden in the tall grasses, you see discarded cardboard and plastic packaging from the stores that the hooks and bobbers came in. You name it, it’s there.”

Volunteer cleanup events fostered by the Association have helped to significantly reduce the debris. The Association has also worked with local governments to craft protective policies and ordinances.

The St. Joe flows approximately 200 miles from its headwaters in south central Michigan, meanders into Indiana and turns back north at South Bend, emptying into Lake Michigan between the twin cities of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph. Because of extensive agricultural land use, the St. Joe is a major source of pesticide pollution, including atrazine and nitrates, to the big lake. Smith is concerned about dozens of large factory farms in the watershed that contribute to the pollution problem. The River also faces sewage, litter and other water quality challenges.

A World War II veteran and retired draftsman, Smith has helped organize volunteer groups to protect the river and tributaries in communities throughout the watershed. His most recent campaign has been to convince Michigan lawmakers to create a state funding source for watershed protection and restoration activities. The Association was recently awarded a $115,000 Wetland Program Development Grant by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The long-term goal is to increase both voluntary and regulatory wetland protection. Smith explains that citizen contributions are also critical to the continued work of the Association.

Al remembers fondly his first catch out of the St. Joe, a two-pound small mouth bass, and attributes his love of the river to early fishing experiences:

“Someone gave me a fishing rod back in 1933 just after we moved to Athens [Michigan]. I wangled some money from Mom and bought some new line and a bobber and went down to the local stream. I would sit on the side of the dam and watch the water making different patterns as it fell. I would cast my line down into the spillway and if lucky, pull a few bluegills out. Mom didn’t care how big they were, she would clean them and cook them for me for supper.”

What is his hope for the future of the St. Joe?

“Boy, that’s a hard one, it’s almost as easy as saying, ‘Let’s hope the people learn a little more each year about how to take care of what they have. Whatever we can do for the first 25 years, lets just carry it for another 25.”

Reprinted with permission from Ecolocalizer