Pulling their tubes out of the back of the pickup, Goldberg said all three were determined to be part of what could end up being the last flotilla on the Clark Fork River below Milltown Dam.
"It's a yearly thing for us," said Goldberg, who lives in Missoula. "We don't go on vacation so we can do this Š we love the river and this whole cleanup issue. It's going to be so nice when it's all done."
With the last document required to trigger the removal of Milltown Dam scheduled to be released in the near future, organizers of the fourth annual flotilla said there was ample reason to celebrate this year.
The dam removal project could begin as soon as this fall.
On Saturday, floaters of all ages made their way across the riprap lining the shore just below the aging dam to launch all sorts of watercraft for the trip downriver - an event originally organized to focus attention on the aging dam, which holds back tons of toxic waste from nearly a century of mining.
A party at Caras Park awaited them at the end of the float.
Jonathan Walther of Missoula watched the flotilla bob by last summer and decided then he'd be part of it this year.
"We pulled off of Highway 200 last year and watched them float by," Walther said. "I remember thinking, 'Holy cow, why aren't we out there.' "
The unsettled weather might have scared off a few floaters, but Walther was sure there would still be a crowd.
"I don't think it's going to have much of an impact on the hardy Montanans," he said. "It's just a little blustery."
Missoula-area residents have always valued the Clark Fork River, said Walther, remembering times in the 1970s when his Boy Scout troop worked on river cleanup projects. Subsequent projects, like the bike path, have focused people's attention on the river, he said.
"That's what makes Missoula," he said. "People are interested in what happens here. That's what sets it apart from all the rest of the best points in the West."
Relaxing in her inflatable kayak, Ingrid Estell of Missoula dreams of the day when she'll be able to take a float trip from Lincoln all the way to Tarkio.
"I'd love to be able to make a week of it," Estell said. "That would be wonderful. I like long-distance multiday trips and it certainly would be nice to have that so close to home."
Saturday was the second time Estell joined the Milltown to Downtown float.
"I just wanted to be able to support the Clark Fork Coalition," she said. "They're doing some good work."
For many, the float was a celebration of the eve of what could be the final days of the Milltown Dam.
"I've got some mixed feelings about the dam coming down," said Tom Bushey of Missoula. "We're going to lose some good wetlands for wildlife, but it really does have to go. It's a time bomb."
For Clark Fork Coalition executive director Tracy Stone-Manning, there's plenty of reason to celebrate.
"When we kicked this campaign off in 2000, some of our most stalwart friends grinned and told us good luck," said Stone-Manning. "The only reason the dam is going to come down is thousands of people said it should. It became a political movement and that forced a hard look at the science."
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency received more than 10,000 comments from people - more than they received on any other Superfund project, Stone-Manning said.
"It was really democracy at work," she said. "It makes us all realize that citizens really can make a difference."
Missoulians have a connection with the Clark Fork River.
"It's really the pulse and lifeblood of downtown," said Stone-Manning. "It's easy to see how important it is to all of our lives. For many of us, it's why we live here."
When the cost of the dam removal and cleanup of the upper Clark Fork is added to the Montana's Natural Resource Damage settlement, the total nears $300 million.
"That's transformational change, or it should be," she said. "What other river in the West is getting $300 million coming its way? We're all so fortunate that this is about to happen."
The restoration marks a change in priorities, she said.
"When the job is done, we're going to have an asset as opposed to a liability," Stone-Manning said. "There's a clear case for celebration."
Reporter Perry Backus can be reached at 523-5259 or pbackus@missoulian.com
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