Volunteers with one of the trash boats at the Kentucky Lake - Paris, Tenn. cleanup during the 2022 Grand Slam River Cleanup Series presented by AFTCO.

Volunteers participating in the 2022 Grand Slam River Cleanup Series presented by AFTCO clean the shorelines of the Tennessee River in Waverly, Tenn. where the nearby Trace Creek had recently suffered deadly flooding.

Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) will kick off the ‘Tennessee River Grand Slam Cleanup Series presented by AFTCO,’ bringing four major cleanups held within four states. In fact, KTNRB’s boats will be cleaning in all four states touched by the Tennessee River at the first two consecutive days of the series.

“The fact that we’ll be able to serve four states within our first two cleanups is a testament to how directly this river connects our communities and how litter in one county actually impacts us all,” said Kathleen Gibi, KTNRB Executive Director. “We’re grateful to our volunteers, our partners, and sponsors like AFTCO, TVA, and TDOT who are giving back to this river community through our Grand Slam River Cleanup Series.”

The river cleanup campaign is sponsored by AFTCO (The American Fishing Tackle Company), an outdoor apparel and fishing tackle company that has both sponsored the series and equipped the KTNRB staff with seasonal fishing apparel to stay clean, dry, and comfortable at cleanups through any weather.

Here’s the schedule for the Tennessee River Grand Slam Cleanup:

Tennessee River Grand Slam Cleanup Series Schedule

· Friday, March 10 noon – 4 p.m. | Iuka, MS / Counce, TN / Waterloo, AL | Pickwick Lake

· Saturday, March 11 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Buchanan, TN / Murray, KY | Kentucky Lake

· Saturday, April 1 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Bean Station, TN | Cherokee Lake

· Sunday, April 1 1:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. | Jasper, TN | Nickajack Lake

Volunteers close in on the end of a bunch of litter that had been compiling over decades on Pickwick Lake In Iuka, Miss. during the 2022 Grand Slam River Cleanup Series presented by AFTCO.

With 55,000 lbs. of trash removed so far in 2023, KTNRB is on track for its third year in surpassing 100,000 lbs. of trash removed in one year. Just last month, the organization hit the milestone of more than 500,000 lbs. removed since introducing their first boat to the water in 2019. Last year, KTNRB expanded its fleet by adding a second 26-foot boat.

A volunteer stands on a recently cleaned shoreline on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tenn. during the 2022 Grand Slam River Cleanup Series presented by AFTCO.

Each cleanup in the Tennessee River Grand Slam Cleanup Series will be bolstered with the help of the national nonprofit, Living Lands & Waters (LL&W), who will bring three of their 30-foot work boats to supplement KTNRB’s two 26-foot work boats. In joining, LL&W will increase the volunteer capacity for each cleanup to 60, therefore upping impact for the river.

“Clean water is critical to the health of our fisheries, and we're excited to take part in one of the many collective actions that we must all take to keep our waterways clean,” said Casey Shedd, President at AFTCO. “It's folks like the volunteers from Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful that inspired our ten percent pledge to protect and conserve, a pledge to donate ten percent of company profits to fishing conservation.”

Volunteers participating in the 2022 Grand Slam River Cleanup Series presented by AFTCO help to load a dock float onto the trash boat. Recent Paris, Tenn. flooding busted up a lot of docks and the remnants had been scattered along Kentucky Lake’s shorelines.

The cleanup series is also supported by funding from TVA and TDOT’s ‘Nobody Trashes Tennessee’ litter prevention campaign. It’s also taking place during Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup©. Through this far-reaching annual effort, Keep America Beautiful local affiliates host cleanups in more than 20,000 communities, engaging over five million volunteers during March and April.

Volunteers are still needed for each cleanup. To sign up for any of the Tennessee River Grand Slam Cleanup Series events, please visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/upcomingcleanups. To see AFTCO’s web site, please visit www.aftco.com.