Nickajack Lake, Tenn. – June 2, 2021 – Yamaha Pro Angler Ish Monroe teamed up with Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) and a group of young volunteers on June 1 to clean up Nickajack Lake. Led by KTNRB Executive Director Kathleen Gibi, the group pulled 2,119 pounds of trash from the shoreline near the Shellmound Campground boat ramp in Jasper, Tennessee.
Pro Angler Ish Monroe, KTNRB AmeriCorps Member Adam Weinzapfel, and volunteer Tyler Thornbury remove a traffic barrier from the water.
“Watching these volunteers take action to make our waterways better is incredibly inspiring,” said Monroe. “I applaud KTNRB’s ongoing efforts to not only care for and protect the beautiful 652-mile Tennessee River, but also for encouraging and teaching the next generation about the importance of environmental stewardship.”
The volunteers, ranging ages from 8 to 33, rode in KTNRB’s 26-foot aluminum work boat, which Yamaha Rightwaters and Anderson Marine helped re-power with a V MAX SHO® 90 outboard in 2020.
Ish Monroe pulling a tire from the river.
“I was honored to spend the day especially with the young volunteers who are making a difference,” said Monroe.
Joining the event was Cash “The Conservation Kid” Daniels, a two-time KTNRB Ripple Effect Award recipient and 11-year-old water quality advocate recognized for his hard work improving and protecting the Tennessee River.
“We had a river celebrity-studded cleanup with Cash, who inspires everyone with his passion for water quality, and Ish and the Yamaha Rightwaters team, who understand the importance of acting now so that future generations can also enjoy the river,” said Kathleen Gibi, KTNRB Executive Director. “Working together, we hope to inspire residents of the river communities to take care of this natural treasure.”
Yamaha Rightwaters began its support of Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful after meetings during the 2019 Bassmaster Classic® in Knoxville, Tenn. Yamaha Rightwaters also sponsors KTNRB’s Ripple Effect Awards.
For more information about Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful or to volunteer, please visit keeptnriverbeautiful.org.
Left to right: KTNRB Executive Director Kathleen Gibi, Cash “The Conservation Kid” Daniels, and Professional Angler Ish Monroe.
Yamaha Rightwaters™ is a national sustainability program that encompasses all of Yamaha Marine’s conservation and water quality efforts. Program initiatives include habitat restoration, support for scientific research, mitigation of invasive species, the reduction of marine debris and environmental stewardship education. Yamaha Rightwaters reinforces Yamaha’s long-standing history of natural resource conservation, support of sustainable recreational fishing and water resources and Angler Code of Ethics, which requires pro anglers to adhere to principles of stewardship for all marine resources.
Yamaha Marine products are marketed throughout the United States and around the world. Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit, based in Kennesaw, Ga., supports its 2,400 U.S. dealers and boat builders with marketing, training and parts for Yamaha’s full line of products and strives to be the industry leader in reliability, technology and customer service. Yamaha Marine is the only outboard brand to have earned NMMA®’s C.S.I. Customer Satisfaction Index award every year since its inception.