Hiawassee, GA – The Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition has announced its seventh annual Lake Chatuge Cleanup, scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 4, from 9:00 a.m. until noon. Volunteers are asked to meet at the Towns County Swim Beach Pavilion.

Breakfast will be served before the cleanup begins and t-shirts will be offered to participants. Lunch will follow the event.

A pontoon boat rental and horseback riding passes will be up for grabs as prizes for volunteers.

In the seven years since the cleanup project began, over 6.75 tons of trash has been collected from the shores of Lake Chatuge.

The Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition is a 20-year-old nonprofit, private organization dedicated to preserving quality water supplies in lakes, rivers, and creeks that flow into the Hiawassee River. The Coalition educates governments, landowners, businesses, and schools in understanding the threats to our water sources as well as monitoring water conditions across the region.

Over the past 15 years, the Coalition has obtained $6.8 million in grant funding. Approximately 93% of the funds were spent for “on-the-ground” programs and projects to improve the water quality in areas where it has declined. Less than 7% was spent to facilitate Coalition support operations.

Grants for the Watershed Coalition has become increasingly competitive, and while the Coalition is confident in their ability to secure additional grant funding, most grants will no longer pay staff salaries or operating support. The Coalition states if the program is to remain viable, membership dues, fundraising events, and contributions from major donors are necessary as the foundation of their efforts.

“The more local support we have, the more likely we are to receive larger donations from private foundations and corporations. If every family in our are joined for only $30/year and brought a friend to one of our fun events, we could continue to avoid the water quality problems in so many other parts of our country and the world,” the Coalition says.

Sponsors and Participating Partners include the Tennessee Valley Authority, Towns County Government, US Forest Service Blue Ridge Ranger District, Boundary Waters Resort and Marina, The Ridges Resort and Marina, The Stables at Brasstown Valley, and the Towns County Chamber of Commerce.

For further information or to volunteer for the Lake Chatuge Cleanup Project, contact Raleigh Keagan at [email protected]

 

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