Employee Spotlight
On Earth Day last month, our COO, James Carnahan (shown above in the Aussie hat) and volunteers from Riverkeepers Ohio, set out on Ohio’s waterways to clean up trash and debris from Summit Lake and the Tuscarawas River near where they live.
Riverkeepers Ohio was formed after James discovered and reported a major oil spill in the Tuscarawas River on July 6, 2023 while on his way to his favorite fishing hole. He went back two days later only to discover that the spill was actually more extensive than anyone thought.
As he stepped into the water to begin flyfishing, he was alarmed to find himself and his fishing rod covered in oil. As he looked around he saw geese, ducks, muskrats and other wildlife struggling to stay alive as their bodies were covered in the thick black oil. After another call failed to generate a response, he took his pleas for help to social media, posting photos and videos of dying animals, oil covered rocks, vegetation and insects. Three days later he finally got the attention of local ODNR, EPA, reporters and other entities.
The clean-up was a slow process, eleven weeks to be exact. The remaining remnants of the oil and long term effects on the local ecosystems will take much longer to go away. With a fantastic team behind him here in the office, James was able to head out every day during the clean-up to watch and report the progress. He became known as the voice of the river and the wildlife that live in and around it and was even on the news!
From that event, James learned more about how our waterways were NOT being taken care of properly and that nothing was going to get done just talking about it.
“You have to get out there and make the difference yourself”, says James.
That’s when he was inspired to form Riverkeepers Ohio. A small group of people who care about our environment and want to help to keep our waterways clean for future generations.
Pictured below: Oil covered turtle found swimming in the river.
Fast Forward to Today
Shortly after the clean- up, the Riverkeepers started meeting to clean up the piles of trash coming into the Tusk, especially after a rain event. Cleaning up the trash meant getting into the river or pulling trash out from a kayak or canoe, “None of which was safe or easy. I knew there had to be a better way“, James told a news reporter covering his story.
James set about a better way by creating some “tools of the trade” to make collecting trash out of the river easier. One being a homemade break-a-way boom that collects trash at certain points but doesn’t impede the water flow or harm wildlife. The boom stops the trash from flowing down the waterway and allows volunteers to easily scoop up it up on one area and dispose of it properly.
James first tested the booms in his pool and once he found that they worked, he contacted the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) to demonstrate how they worked and get their approval to place the booms at coordinated points along the water ways.
Since the initial report of the spill, James has developed a partnership with Summit Metro Parks and the City of Akron for his booms and is actively pursuing partnerships with other local municipalities. In less then a month after the initial three booms were placed, Riverkeepers Ohio has collected over a 1000 pounds of trash from the waterways, demonstrating it’s value and need.
James’ dream is to get the word out about Riverkeepers Ohio so that more booms can be installed throughout all of Ohio’s waterways.
Team Work Makes The Dream Work
James will be the first to say that he could not do any of this without the awesome team that he has behind him here at TOI.
“They backed me 100% when I was spending hours out at the oil spill site. They knew my heart was aching and they stepped up to the plate. Much like they do for our clients, allowing them to take on passions in and out of the office. It’s what they do and I am so very thankful for each and every one of them”. – James
To read more about his story and get updates check out his blog at https://www.oparuns.com.
On Earth Day, Riverkeepers Ohio™ picked up enough trash to fill 11 trash bags weighing 104 pounds. Not to mention, chairs, tires, a shopping cart and bowling ball.
Riverkeepers, Dave Stoler, James, Eric Fitch and Wendy Hagen head out on the river.
Volunteer, Dave, showing off just a portion of the trash they gathered out of the river.
James scooping up trash with a device he made out of pool noodle at the end of an extension handle.
James aka “Oparuns” picking up trash near his favorite fishing hole.
A small sample of the trash that flowed into the river before booms were in place.
Another volunteer, Debbie Kaiser, wrapping up another section of the river.
Sample of trash collected by one of James’ homemade booms.
More trash collected by booms.
James is always surprised by what they find in the river. Tires, chairs, a shopping cart, a bowling ball, “You name it, I’ve found it!”
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about one of our own!
If you would like to read more about TOI Team members, let us know and we will be happy to share more!
Sincerely,
Total Office, Inc.
www.totaloffice.cc
