Cash Daniels and his younger brother, Cole, cleanup litter on Nickajack Lake of the Tennessee River.
WRITTEN BY: ADAM WEINZAPFEL,
KTNRB AMERICORPS MEMBER
Cash has participated in Keep the Tennessee River Watershed Beautiful Month in many ways, including obtaining proclamations from the mayors of Chattanooga and Cleveland, Tenn.
Our Adopt a River Mile Program has been booming in 2021, with over 40 new adoptees in the past 3 months, more and more partners are stepping up to take care of the Tennessee River and its many tributaries. Every partner, both long-established and recent, deeply care for the river and work hard for their community to make it a cleaner place.
One adoptee, Cash “The Conservation Kid” Daniels, is no exception. Cash is our youngest partner at only 11 years old, but in that time as done literal tons of good. His work has led him to be a two-time recipient of our Ripple Effect Awards presented by Yamaha Rightwaters.
We wanted to shine a light on this inspiring young man, so we sat down for a short interview with him to ask a few questions, and here’s what he had to say:
So Cash, how old were you when you started cleanups?
Cash: I was eight when I got started doing cleanups, and I adopted my river mile when I was nine.
Eight years old is pretty young, so why did you decide to start at that age?
Cash: I learned that rivers are the leading cause of pollution in our oceans, and that made me want to do river cleanups. I wanted to do what I could to stop it.
That’s a big goal to take on, how has that experience been so far?
Cash: Cleaning is fun and hard. There’s a lot that goes into the cleanups. I know that the work is hard, but I am helping wildlife, and that’s what matters to me.
Cash Daniels posing with a doll head he found at KTNRB’s Dayton, TN Cleanup.
You’ve done a lot of cleanups so far. What’s the weirdest thing you pulled out?
Cash: I know the creepiest thing I pulled out was this really creepy baby doll head! But there have been other things, like syringes and toy grenades that were also pretty creepy.
Sounds like you’ve found some unsettling things!
Cash: Yeah, you find a lot of things like that. But you also find a lot of plastic.
I imagine there are a lot of people who dislike all that plastic. What do you have to say to people who don’t like plastic and are looking to adopt, or have recently adopted?
Cash: I’d tell them that adopting a river mile is simple, and a huge help to the rivers. I’ve done a lot of cleanups and have seen changes on my river mile. There’s been a big difference. I also think that adopting is great for families. The more help the better!
I bet so. Your family has obviously been a big help for you. Well thank you for sitting down and letting me ask a few questions.
Cash: Thank you for having me.
Cash and his brother, Cole, posing with trash from his cleanup at newly adopted Mile 486.
Since this interview, Cash has gone on to do more for the Tennessee River, including adopting a second river mile, already pulling 584 lbs. of trash, including 8 bags of trash, 300 lbs of random plastic, and 2 propane tanks at the first cleanup.
If you want to see all of the work Cash has been doing the past few years, follow him on his Instagram, @theconservationkid. There, he not only shares his cleanups, but showcases his wildlife encounters, tells the updates in his monofilament fishing line recycling program that he manages, works with other young conservationists and organizations, and provides ways that you can be more of a conservationist in your day to day life.
We can’t thank him enough for not only the interview, but for everything he has done for our rivers, oceans, and wildlife in these past 3+ years.