While on a family canoe trip on the Fox River a few years ago, Grant and Colton Shepard were disturbed by what they saw in the water. "We were there to enjoy the beauty," says Grant, 11, "but we saw a lot of litter."

The brothers, who live in Riverside, Illinois, went home and took action. They contacted the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and volunteered to monitor local rivers and streams. They attended training workshops to become familiar with the organisms that are found in local waters.

Ever since, they have been taking weekly samples from two rivers. They study them to make certain the underwater ecosystem is balanced. Sometimes they find strange things. "We once discovered a big picnic table that had sunk underwater!" says Grant.

It's not just rivers that these kid crusaders care about. They have dedicated themselves to keeping their environment totally balanced. "In the future, we're going to need resources, and if we don't preserve them now, they won't be there for us," says Colton, 14.

Every year, as part of their campaign for a cleaner world, the brothers go at least 100 days without using a car. Each boy has 10,000 miles under his wheels: more than the distance around the world! Their mission: to cut down on the carbon-monoxide gas that cars release into the air.

The brothers have also been active in helping restore Illinois' precious prairies. For the past two years, they have spent at least one Saturday a month clearing away non-native plants from a 100-acre rare-oak savanna. "The plants and bushes threaten our heritage because they prevent the old oaks from growing properly," says Grant.

For their efforts, they were made Hometown Heroes by Time for Kids.

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