BMIMTA staff and the PEC walked more than four miles, following the course of Scajaquada Drain through a cemetery, two colleges, and several parks and playgrounds, and past industry, schools, churches, and a youth detention facility.
BMIMTA staff and other participants provided historical, environmental, and social context at points along the expedition route. Lecture-style speeches, while generally avoided, were occasionally required by the material to be addressed. Ongoing dialogue between PEC members was actively encouraged. The PEC, which was predominantly made up of white nonresidents, was joined by a few local residents during the focus group to provide a different perspective on the status of Scajaquada Drain.
Among the most visually striking of the PEC's tasks were the Multi-Sensorial Manhole Inspections. These MSMIs yielded a variety of results and impressions: some manholes were frozen shut in their casings, while others were lifted without much effort. Some contained a rushing torrent of combined sewage, while others revealed a broad, slow-moving stream. PEC members were encouraged to immerse themselves in the sensory inspection, and some took the suggestion literally. Neighborhood residents often came out to inquire about the PEC's activities, leading to spontaneous conversations around water quality, environmental health, street maintenance, and education. Many neighbors had no idea they lived above a buried waterway and were thrilled by the discovery.
While not as extensively documented, BMIMTA and the PEC used a variety of techniques to denote the pathway above Scajaquada Drain. PEC participants walked above a dotted line that had been stencilled the day before, took turns dropping blue chalk powder in front of the group to capture both our path and our footprints, and used blue "sidewalk" chalk to mark a variety of symbols and codes. Not pictured here are the fabric strips that were tied to signposts, fences, and elsewhere to denote the presence of the creek.
The PEC was also tasked with logging detritus and debris encountered along the expedition path. Some PEC members in previous photographs are carrying the translucent plastic bags that were distributed to collect representative samples. Some accumulations of debris were notable for their aesthetic qualities. At Scajaquada Street and Colorado Avenue we encountered the half-decayed remains of a dog, presumably dumped there after a fighting loss. The image -- and the smell -- haunted many in the PEC for the remainder of the expedition.
