River Clean Up

The Mississippi River is not just a geographical boundary for the city of La Crosse, Wisconsin; it’s also its pride and joy. Boaters, paddlers, anglers, and bird enthusiasts visit La Crosse every year to enjoy its waters. Much of the community’s identity revolves around its natural beauty – a majestic landscape of bluffs and rivers.

In 2025, more than 580 volunteers participated in River Clean Up’s two annual events. / Photo courtesy RCU

That’s why preservation of the Mississippi, and adjacent waterways, has become the mission of River Clean Up (RCU), a dedicated group of volunteers that has been cleaning area rivers for more than three decades

RCU was co-founded in La Crosse by residents Russ Wilson and Wayne Ellefson. Russ, a former Wisconsin State Game Warden, was painfully aware of the pollution impacting the area’s rivers, destroying habitats and poisoning the water that plants and wildlife rely on. His first attempt at a group cleanup in 1992 drew only his colleagues. Afterward, Russ consulted with his friend, Wayne, who has a background in marketing, on how to make a bigger impact on the community. “I agreed to help him get the volunteers and the rest is history – going on 33 years!” says Wayne. “We wanted to make an event that volunteers would want to come to every year and tell their friends about.”

RCU’s cleanup efforts have definitely grown, drawing helpers from across the community. In 2025, they had more than 580 volunteers participate in their two annual clean up events: Community River Clean Up Day (always the Saturday before Mother’s Day; 2026’s date is May 9), and Corporate River Clean Up Day.

“When a local company reached out, wanting to have their employees volunteer, we got the idea to start the annual corporate day clean up for businesses,” says Wayne, sharing that last year’s corporate day drew more than 200 volunteers from area businesses.

RCU cleanup crew from 2024. / Photo courtesy RCU

Cleanup events are big undertakings, needing all those volunteers. Boaters and walkers remove trash from the water and shorelines, working along the main channel of the Mississippi, as well as the La Crosse River, Black River, the local marsh, and many backwaters. Volunteers are spread out among local landings (Clinton Street West Landing, 7th Street Landing, Goose Island West Landing, or Fred Funk Landing on Brice Prairie), given trash bags, and put to work. They return to their landing with the trash so it can be disposed of properly.

Since 1993, RCU has removed nearly 900,000 pounds of trash from area waterways, including many large, discarded items like appliances, tires, barrels, and more. / Photo courtesy RCU

In the early days – when railroad traffic was more abundant – cleanup crews sometimes found containers of toxic waste in the river. Though this isn’t typical these days, RCU still finds a lot of large, discarded items such as appliances, barrels, tires, water heaters, propane tanks, bikes, car parts, and more. In 2025, they removed more than 30,000 pounds of trash, recycled more than 200 barrels and nearly 50 tires, and disposed of a massive amount of non-renewable plastic.“The secret to River Clean Up’s longevity is its narrow vision and wide impact,” says RCU committee member Sam Przywojski. “We gather 500+ of our closest friends for one weekend and reap the benefits all year long.”

Sam also attributes the success of the group to the community’s deep connection to the river and its local tributaries. “To live in this area is to benefit from the beauty, resources and economic benefit of these unique features of our planet,” he says. “Our community is located here because of the river, our families are here because of the river, and many businesses are supported by the river. There is a natural inclination to reciprocate and RCU provides that opportunity for the people of the Coulee Region.”

Despite the large amount of work that goes into cleanup events, the organization is entirely volunteer-run. Currently, a small committee of five – David Abts, Wayne Ellefson, Chris O’Hearn, Sam Przywojski, Russ Wilson – oversees events and donations. RCU operates under the fiscal sponsorship of La Crosse Neighborhoods, Inc, a 501(c)3 public charity, and all donations go directly toward RCU operating costs: trash disposal, safety measures, Clean Up event logistics, and recycling fees.

RCU has even helped remove abandoned or submerged boats from the river. / Photo courtesy RCU

RCU is also available on-call, and has helped clean up abandoned structures and watercrafts, too. For example, when they learned of a mess about 20 miles south of La Crosse, with docks and other materials left abandoned, RCU volunteers tracked down the family of the deceased owner, and a team was able to go in and remove the waste and debris. Another time, they were contacted by landowners to help coordinate the removal and disposal of a sunken boat.

It’s not just the clean up of large items that matters, though. One of the most important ways people can protect the Mississippi and its surrounding waters is to not litter, says Wayne. Another is to be prepared to clean up, even on your own. “Always have a trash bag in any boat you’re taking out on the river,” suggests Wayne. This simple act is an easy way to help with the pollution problem.

And a problem it is. Since 1993, RCU has removed nearly 900,000 pounds of trash from area waterways. Wayne knows that overall enjoyment of the river is significantly increased because of these efforts. “Our local beaches are so much cleaner for everyone to enjoy,” says Wayne. He also knows that RCU’s work has improved life downstream, ensuring that this waste never traveled further south to impact the lives of those who enjoy life along the Mississippi. “That trash did not make it down river to spoil it for those people,” Wayne says.

Even after 33 years, River Clean Up’s mission to keep local waterways clean, beautiful, and healthy is going strong. As committee member Sam says, “River Clean Up is a small but mighty force to preserve this area’s splendor.”