Thursday, April 21st, was my first day as a brand new Outreach Assistant for 1 Mississippi and what a day it was! I attended my first event — the annual CBU Vanderhaar Symposium and came face to face with the ultimate River Citizen…Chad Pregracke! Don’t know who Chad is? You should! Let me tell you why…
Having grown up with the Mississippi River as literally his own back yard, Chad had a view of the river most folks don’t get to experience. And he was always out on the water! His recreational pastime led to river jobs that continued to keep him outside …. working as a commercial shell diver, a commercial fisherman and a barge hand. As he worked, Chad noticed that the riverbanks were a continuous series of trash repositories! No one was clearing the trash, and the river needed someone who cared about making a change — like maybe him?
So, at the young age of 17, he began making calls to see if he could find out who was responsible for cleaning up of the river and found no agencies or group resources. By age 23, he was fed up with seeing the problem only getting worse. That’s when his non-profit organization, Living Lands and Waters, was founded, and Chad began to pick up the trash all by himself.
Today, that passion for protecting the river he loves has generated a full staff team and hundreds of volunteers behind the effort; together, they are responsible for collecting, removing and recycling over 8.4 million pounds of trash from our rivers. He also has his own industrial strength barge that travels the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Nine months out of the year, Chad’s crew and volunteers join together to clean, educate and, most importantly, make a real difference.
Chad Pregracke speaks at the CBU Vanderhaar Symposium
One man made a choice to help rescue our rivers and it turned into a life long journey. He is a genuine hero. CNN thought so, too, and made him their HERO of the year in 2013. Check out his book “From The Bottom Up” – One Man’s Crusade to Clean America’s Rivers–and read about this amazing journey.
So, the next time you are out and about, and thinking you can’t make a difference – know, like Chad, that you can!
Hearing Chad speak on my first day was truly inspirational! Like myself, the three hundred people who attended the Symposium that evening in Memphis walked away knowing that one person really can make a difference in helping to restore our grand Mississippi River. Being a River Citizen comes in many forms and formats, so don’t hesitate to get out there and make your own brand of difference! Can the River count on you?
Jessie Demster
Tennessee/Kentucky 1 Mississippi Outreach Assistant
Sidenote: My new employer, the Mississippi River Corridor – TN, serves as a Regional Coordinator in the Lower Mississippi River region for the 1 Mississippi campaign. The MRCT has been a proud partner and advocate for the last eight years in the work the Mississippi River Network accomplishes.
The MRCT was also a major Sponsor for the Vanderhaar Symposium and helped to bring Chad Pregracke to Memphis. Chad is a local hero in our region for his annual barge visit to clean up tons of trash at McKellar Lake. Hundreds of volunteers come in from all around the country for service “spring breaks”. We consider Chad to be a local legend in bringing much needed attention and help to the Mississippi River. We thank him and all of our citizens of the Delta.
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