SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Going to the river to beat the heat is a summertime tradition for many Sacramento-area residents. Whether rafting, canoeing or swimming, local waterways attract crowds looking to have a fun way to cool off.

But losing a wallet, phone or any personal belonging to the river can quickly end the fun.

For Sacramento native Karl Bly, recovering those lost items has become a mission that is part compassion, part hobby. He takes requests from individuals searching for belongings and posts daily online in hopes of reuniting items to the owners.

“It’s such a fun addiction to find things out in the river, and then it just adds so much more when you continue to search and find the owners,” Bly said. “It’s a whole new level of adventure.”

 Karl Bly of American River Lost & Found recovered a sticker-covered water bottle and was able to return it a year later. The owner shared that it was a deeply sentimental item, with each sticker representing a trip he and his girlfriend had taken together. Photos courtesy of American River Lost & Found

Bly’s connection to the American River goes back to 1972, when his family moved to Carmichael. He was 5 years old, Bly said, when he started kayaking and snorkeling.

“My dad would get our whole family out on the river,” Bly said. “He would go scuba diving in the river looking for things and I would follow his air bubbles around in a canoe.”

At 10, Bly found a pair of cut-off shorts with a wallet and a California Highway Patrol badge inside.

“I still remember his name, Blaine Pectol,” Bly recalled.

Without social media, Bly relied on the yellow pages to track down the officer. After a few calls, Bly reached the right family.

“It was exciting for me to go through that whole process as a young kid and ultimately returning a wallet to a CHP officer made me feel I was an important part of the community,” Bly said.

From then on, Bly said, he made it a point to return anything with a name attached that he found while diving. When Bly joined social media in 2010, it gave him a way to share his discoveries with friends and he gained a reputation for finding lost items in the river.

Karl Bly’s efforts have had a “radiating effect, “he said, inspiring others on the river to hand him lost items or join the search, creating a sense of camaraderie along the American River. Photos courtesy of American River Lost & Found

One day, friends alerted him to a lost kayak posted in a community group. The next morning, Bly said, he went out and located it in just 10 minutes. That moment became the turning point for launching the American River Lost & Found Facebook page in 2018.

The page has since grown to more than 36,000 followers, with members who actively help by sharing posts and commenting.

The most common finds, Bly said, are sunglasses with hundreds, if not thousands, each year. Phones are the most valuable frequent recovery, with 178 phones returned so far in 2025.

Bly has also retrieved unusual items, such as three prosthetic legs.

“Social media is just invaluable to get something like that returned,” Bly said.

Some of Bly’s finds are more whimsical. A recent request led Bly to recover a lost mermaid tail, which he successfully returned to its owner.

Karl Bly poses with owners and their returned items, which he shares on his American River Lost & Found Facebook page to help reconnect lost belongings. Photos courtesy of American River Lost & Found

But other items that seem ordinary often hold deep personal meaning, a part of Bly’s work that stands out to him.

He recalled returning a sticker-covered water bottle that had been lost for a year. Each sticker represented a trip that the owner and his girlfriend had taken together, starting with the one where he first told her he loved her.

“Every place they went all over the world, they put these stickers on it; it was kind of a history of their relationship,” Bly said. “Little stories like that are so common. People thought their things were gone forever, things very meaningful to them and not worth much to anyone else.”

Bly holds onto items that might take longer to claim but clothing left unclaimed after about a week is washed and donated.

Summer is Bly’s busiest season, when he receives requests daily. In the winter, Bly explained, far fewer people are out on the water, so there are fewer items to be lost. Most of his work is along the American River and Lake Natoma, where Bly has even had other local divers assist.

Karl Bly is a Sacramento native and kayaker who runs a local popular Facebook page called American River Lost & Found. Photos courtesy of American River Lost & Found

“It’s just a fun hobby to go out and find things,” Bly said. “And it’s so much better when you can hand something back to somebody and have them in tears, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe I got this back.’”

Outside of diving and kayaking, Bly manages rental properties, which gives him more free time after a more than 20-year career in various entrepreneurial ventures. In his later years, Bly joked, he has been “flexing his time,” allowing him to dedicate more hours to the hobby.

For river-goers, Bly’s top tip is simple: “Number one, if you’re bringing something valuable in water, make sure it floats.” He also recommends phone protectors, securing bags in kayaks or canoes and straps for prescription glasses.

Bly documents his days on the river with photos and videos, focusing on wholesome or funny interactions for his social media page.

But his work goes beyond returning lost items. He regularly picks up trash, helps stranded rafters and identifies safety hazards.

“Since I’m getting these messages daily during summer of where people are wiping out and losing their stuff, I also have kind of an overview of where the dangerous spots are,” Bly said.

About two years ago, Bly noticed a pipe crossing the river that was causing wipeouts. He posted about it online, and after a local news outlet published a story, the pipe was removed.

“Found out it was a decommissioned pipe. A few months later, I got a message from the lawyers saying, ‘We want to let you know that we will be removing that pipe because of your activism,’” Bly said.

Karl Bly is pictured with a mermaid tail that he found while at the river in August.

At times, Bly’s work can take a more serious turn.

“I spend so much time on the river, I wind up helping people in one way, shape or form or another almost every time I’m out there,” Bly said. “I’ve been in those situations many, many times.”

Bly noted that he and other divers have occasionally assisted in recovery efforts for drowning victims.

“We’ve actually attached buoys to drowning victims in the river so the Sac Metro Fire Department can come in, pull up the buoy to the rope and continue recovery,” Bly said. “Since we know the river so well and know where all these little spots are, knowledge and skill come in handy sometimes when it’s needed.”

Despite the dangers, Bly keeps his page positive. Bly said his efforts have had a “radiating effect,” inspiring others to hand him lost items or join in the search, creating a sense of comradery along the American River.

To learn more about Bly and to see his daily finds, visit the American River Lost & Found page at @ARKayaker on Facebook.