• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
The Greenway Foundation

The Greenway Foundation

Revitalizing Rivers. Reconnecting Communities.

  • About Us
    • Our History
    • Our Team
    • Employment
    • Blog
    • Annual Report
    • Contact Us
  • SPREE
    • Elementary
      • Field Trips
        • Preschool SPREE Field Trip
        • Kindergarten SPREE Field Trip
        • First Grade SPREE Field Trip
        • Second Grade SPREE Field Trip
        • Third Grade SPREE Field Trip
        • Fourth Grade SPREE Field Trip
        • Fifth Grade SPREE Field Trip
      • Camps
        • Summer Camp
        • School Break Camp
    • Middle School
      • Leaders In Training
    • High School
      • River Rangers
      • Greenway Leadership Corps
    • Families
      • Family Events
      • Camps
        • Summer Camp
        • School Break Camp
      • Just for Kids
  • Stewardship
    • Clean Water Challenge
    • Nautilus
    • Gutter Bins
    • Volunteer
  • Projects
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Family Events
    • Stewardship Events
    • CROSSCURRENTS
    • Reception on the River
    • Gala on the Bridge
  • Give
  • SPREE
  • Elementary
    • Field Trips
      • Preschool (ECE)
      • Kindergarten
      • First Grade
      • Second Grade
      • Third Grade
      • Fourth Grade
      • Fifth Grade
      • Field Trip Signup
      • Field Trip Feedback
    • Camps
      • Summer Camp
      • School Break Camp
    • Scholarships
  • Middle School
    • Leaders In Training
  • High School
    • River Rangers
    • Greenway Leadership Corps
  • Families
    • Family Events
    • Camps
      • Summer Camp
      • School Break Camp
    • Just for Kids
    • Scholarships

Nautilus Installed in Cherry Creek!

Nautilus installation by The Greenway Foundation along the Cherry Creek
The Greenway Foundation is excited to announce the pilot of an instream trash removal device– the Nautilus! This half-scale prototype will passively collect trash along the north side of the Cherry Creek between Blake Street and Market Street. Nautilus is being serviced regularly by Mile High Flood District and ArborForce to collect valuable information regarding the device’s function and what types of debris are being collected. Other partners for this pilot include ClayDean Electric, who built this version of Nautilus, as well as Denver Parks and Recreation and Naranjo Civil Constructors.
Picture

Picture

“Like many urban areas, keeping trash out of our waterways in Denver has been a constant challenge” said Devon Buckels, Director of The Water Connection. “Every year, local non-governmental organizations and the Mile High Flood District spend $1.5 million removing trash from the South Platte River by hand, one piece at a time. There has to be a better solution.  This is 2020!”

The concept for the Nautilus design was created by two students at Metropolitan State University of Denver, Mara Maxwell and TJ DiTallo, as part of TGF’s Clean River Design Challenge (CRDC) held during the 2015-2016 academic year. CRDC is a yearlong competition that challenges teams of undergraduate students to design and build a scale model of a device to be placed in a waterway in Metro Denver to remove trash and debris. Along with being efficient and effective, these devices also have to meet numerous other criteria: they must not negatively impact the flood plain, they must be safe for recreational users and wildlife, and they must have an educational and/or art aspect to the design to engage passersby in the community.

Trash in our waterways is not only an eyesore, but it can also harm wildlife and degrade water quality. TGF is also pursuing other trash capture approaches, such as storm drain filtration devices, for collecting trash before it enters our rivers and streams. The 15 storm drain filters in Metro Denver collected 3,960 pounds of pollutants in less than two years.

​Next time you are biking or hiking the Cherry Creek path, stop by to visit the Nautilus!

Published: February 24, 2020
Category: Nautilus, News, Stewardship
The Greenway Foundation

About The Greenway Foundation

The Greenway Foundation is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since 1974, we have been leading efforts to reclaim the South Platte River and its tributaries from a virtual cesspool to a place of environmental and recreational pride. Learn More

Previous Post:SPREE F.B.I. – Holiday Camp Recap
Next Post:River Ranger Teaching Day 2

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarSue Counterman

    February 25, 2020 at 9:59 am

    I would love to bring my 12 advisees to see the prototype and do a riverbank clean up. Would you be able to host a group of 12 7th graders on April 9th?
    Thank you for responding and considering this idea.

  2. AvatarCamden Brown

    March 12, 2020 at 7:15 am

    Hey, I am in a social entrepreneurship class in 7th grade and I would love to talk to you guys through email about your genius prototype.

    • AvatarLauren

      March 12, 2020 at 7:55 am

      Hello Camden! My name is Lauren Berent, and I am the Associate Director for The Water Connection. I am happy to talk to you more about this project over email! Please email any questions to lauren@greenwayfoundation.org.
      Looking forward to talking with you!
      Lauren

Sidebar

Stewardship Events

Apr 22
9:00 am - 11:00 am

Family South Platte Stewardship Day

Apr 29
8:00 am - 11:00 am

Spring South Platte Stewardship Day

Apr 29
10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Spring High School Stewardship Day

Sep 1
September 1 @ 8:00 am - September 30 @ 11:00 am

Fall South Platte Stewardship Day

Sep 23
10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Fall High School Stewardship Day

View Calendar

Current News

Mayoral Candidates on the Future of Denver’s Urban Waterways

The Greenway Foundation reached out to the current 2023 Denver Mayoral Candidates, asking each to respond to three questions concerning the future Denver’s Urban Waterways. As we receive their responses …

More Blog Posts

2022 RECAP: River Rangers

January GLC: Youth Career Exploration Day!

2022 RECAP- The Greenway Leadership Corps (GLC)

Jeff Shoemaker Retires from The Greenway Foundation

Blog Categories

Blog Archive

  • 2023
  • 2022
  • 2021
  • 2020
  • 2019
  • 2018
  • 2017
  • 2016
  • 2015
  • 2014

The Greenway Foundation

1820 Platte Street, Denver, CO 80202

info@greenwayfoundation.org

303.481.1974

FEIN: 51-0193575

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Vimeo
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
1% for the Planet Nonprofit Partner
About Us
SPREE
Stewardship
Projects
Events
DONATE TODAY
SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL LIST
CONTACT US

Copyright © 2023 · The Greenway Foundation · All Rights Reserved