Buckley’s Kayaking Quest
had 12 in 2016; Pakistan had 19; and Nigeria had 4. Since 1988, when the eradication initiative began with the World Health Organization and Rotary International, polio cases have been reduced by 99.9 percent. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation matches 2-for-1 for every new dollar that Rotary donates to the polio eradication effort, according to the website. The Mi s si s sippi R iver i s t he fourth longest, and fifteenth largest, river in the world by discharge. Levees, locks and dams control the water f low. At its headwaters, it is less than three feet deep. It is 200 feet deep near New Orleans. It is dredged to maintain a depth of nine
Jamie Buckley kayaked from the beginning of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, on June 25, 2016, to the Gulf of Mexico, traveling 2,320 miles and visiting 10 states. He completed the feat, exact ly as planned, on October 24, 2016 ~ World Polio Day. He estimates the trip raised in the low five figures, though he cannot be absolutely certain since donations are made to the End Polio website. He would like to continue raising funds to achieve his personal goal of $100,000. Three countries are still known to have polio cases ~ Afghanistan
Day 4. River Mile 55. Early-morning mist on Lake Irving, MN. The Mississippi begins to flow through a series of several large lakes (9). Weather is crucial for these lake crossings. It’s like being in the middle of an ocean. 50