Morning rain and fog cleared the mountain ridges as 3 registration sites and collection points were set up Saturday August 24 at Sink Mountain Boat Ramp + Pioneer Landing + Fish Springs Marina for the 10th Annual Watauga Lake Cleanup.
By land and over water, 87 enthusiastic volunteers hunted down and retrieved litter out of tributaries, coves, camping sites and from under the Butler Bridge. Armed with gloves, bags, picker uppers, gaffing hooks, trash giggers and scoop nets the volunteers paddled kayaks, crewed pontoon boats, and drove personal vehicles to collect styrofoam, tents, containers, chairs, nets, line, lures and assorted plastic and glass. Pride of place inspired each delivery to the dumpsters, gathered at a rate of 1000 pounds per hour. Lugging in a grand total of 2.5 Tons in 5 hours.
Catches of the Day:
- Styrofoam dock block
- Monster Dual Tires
- American Chestnut (pre blight) 9 section hen nesting box
- Fiberglass John Boat (sunk and silt filled)
Watauga Watershed Alliance partnering with Watauga Conservation Committee of the TN Chapter Sierra Club, Watauga Sailing Club, and, in cooperation with TVA and TWRA, Carter and Johnson County Waste Management, Keep TN Beautiful, TDOT, civic groups, businesses and individual citizens participated to make this a successful clean sweep.
Watauga Lake, surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest, is 12 miles west of Mountain City, Tennessee. This TVA reservoir extends 16.7 miles above the dam and has a shoreline of approximately 109 miles encompassing both Johnson and Carter County.
Litter isn’t only unattractive. Litter has significant environmental and economic impacts, harms wildlife and people, and degrades the quality of our recreational lands and waters that make Tennessee a special place to live, work, and play.
Event photos on Facebook page: