Help Clean Up Butler Lake Saturday

Kristian Gustavson, 27, founder and expedition leader of Below the Surface, will host a community clean-up at Libertyville’s Butler Lake on Saturday, June 9, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Gustavson’s work in grass roots water quality issues has earned coverage in Reader’s Digest and has led him to be named Outside Magazine’s 2012 Reader of the Year. A California resident, Gustavson grew up in Libertyville and has hosted three prior Butler Lake clean-up efforts. “Good water quality in a community is equally as important as a solid business core, good schools and a working infrastructure. In some ways, it is more important, because the quality of our water way nurtures good health for all flora and fauna regionally.”

Gustavson paddled down the Mississippi River from Cairo, Ill., four years ago, a trip documented by Reader’s Digest in which the hulking Cypress trees cast shadows on the future health of the Atchafalaya River. “The Mississippi is the lifeblood of the Midwest, and all its tributaries need the attention of the local communities, especially in areas where the Federal government can’t penetrate.”

Since then, Gustavson has been teaching Oceanography at Cuyamaca College in San Diego and is developing a novel algae fuel to power his motorcycle entry in November’s off-road Baja 1,000 through the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. “We can literally create domestic energy from air and water pollution,” he said.

Grassroots efforts like the Butler Lake clean-up foster an awareness of water quality issues among future citizen scientists, according to Gustavson. “When I see Boy and Girl scouts knee-deep in lake mud trying to grab discarded fishing gear and garbage in general out of the lake, I know we’re succeeding in teaching younger generations the ripple effect of water quality.”

Gustavson developed the "90-Day Plan: 90 Ways in 90 Days to Clean & Conserve Plan," daily activities that anyone can employ to change destructive habits that can pollute or damage the waterways. Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium presented the program to its grade school-age campers. The 90-Day Plan can be downloaded from belowthesurface.org. Now the not-for-profit is gearing up to launch a Smartphone application, “Streamview,”  that will retain documents of rivers and coastlines much like Google Maps documents individual  homes along a street.

“Streamview is a tool that will help deepen the relationships between paddlers, fishermen, outdoors enthusiasts, activists, policy makers and citizen scientists in the river and water community,” he said. “The Streamview project exists in parallel with Below the Surface’s Riverview Project, affording an interactive, inexpensive, user-friendly and visually-appealing means for water and river enthusiasts to explore with a purpose – by going on expeditions and contributing to the greater body of knowledge.”

Prior Butler Lake clean-up days have been supported by the Illinois EPA, the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission, Trout Unlimited, Libertyville High School’s LEAF environmental club, the Village of Libertyville and local residents.

Gustavson will begin at the Lake Street boat launch. Garbage bags will be provided and retained at the boat launch for pick up and disposal by the Village of Libertyville. Last year’s effort netted about a half ton of refuse, including a couch, tires, a 5’ x 6’ sign board and the usual aluminum cans, fishing gear, glass bottles and home decorations like Christmas tree lights.

- Hope Babowice submitted this information on behalf of Kristian Gustavson.