Kayakers fish for garbage in Skokie lagoons

A bunch of environmentalists went fishing in the Skokie Lagoons and brought in a catch that included a cellphone, an empty wallet and a chair.

They also hauled in beer cans, paper scraps and plastic wrappers.

The goal of the kayakers, boaters and anglers lining the shore was not to catch fish--it was to help clean up the lagoons.

About 72 volunteers scoured the Skokie Lagoons on Sunday morning in honor of Earth Day. In just three hours, they removed more than 30 bags of garbage from the preserve, located just east of the Edens Expressway near Glencoe.

"It is sad when you get out there," said Cynthia Gilbert, director of Chicago Kayak, which sponsored the event. She conducts classes at the 180-acre preserve almost every day.

Gilbert estimates that 90 percent of the garbage comes from fishermen that leave items like Styrofoam bait containers and fast-food wrappers.

"Wherever [fishermen] stand, there are mounds of trash," she said. She also said broken fishing lines wreak havoc on wildlife by wrapping around the necks and bills of ducks.

It all qualifies as litter, and the Chicago Kayak Club wants it out of the water.

"Some things would never get pulled out if it wasn't for some overzealous socially-minded kid that had the energy," said Steve Murrill, owner of Great Lakes Kayak in Lake Bluff. He said two children dragged out a pair of huge truck tires last year.

Other odd finds from previous years include Barbie dolls, a car fender and even a live grenade according to Gilbert. A bomb squad was called in to safely dispose of the weapon, believed to be more than 50 years old.

Despite all of the junk hauled out from its depths, the Skokie Lagoons are considered to be one of the cleanest bodies of water in the state, according to the Chicago Audubon Society. A network of pipes and pumps installed in 1979 redirects sewage around the lagoon. Park officials dredged about a million cubic yards of sediment from the lagoons in the '80s.

"Things are absolutely getting better," Gilbert said of the health of the Skokie Lagoons. She said pollution and E. coli bacteria are more of a concern at other kayaking spots like Lake Michigan and the Chicago River.

Other kayaking enthusiasts at the clean-up were not as optimistic.

"I realize in a couple of months or a couple weeks it will be trashed again," said David Yang, a self-proclaimed lifelong environmentalist. "I mostly do this for my own gratification."

Yang said that Earth Day is still a useful tool to increase awareness and spur action from reluctant residents.

"Of course, taking a stand on a daily basis, not just Earth Day, would be even more beneficial," he said.