Money is being raised via a for Nicolas Niemi, a 75-year-old Alaskan who was ordered earlier in December to pay $1,500 for dumping food scraps into the Colorado River and illegally harvesting firewood during a raft trip through the Grand Canyon. The fund was set up on December 12 by Marie Callaway Kellner, who describes herself as a friend of Niemi’s.
While recognizing that Niemi was in the wrong, the page celebrates his love for rivers while asking friends to chip in. “It’s about recognizing what he’s done not just for the Colorado, but for rivers all over the world,” says the GoFundMe organizer. The page has raised more than $2,900 of its $3,000 goal in just five days.