Volunteers help to load a tractor tire on Parksville Lake in Vonore, Tenn. at a cleanup held on Sunday, Feb. 26. A small group of 6 volunteers 1,462 lbs. of trash that day.

A collective 66 volunteers removed 13,137 lbs. of trash from four different rivers in Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful’s 3rd annual Cherokee National Forest River Cleanup Series presented by Oris Watches. Since the series began in 2001, a total of 166 volunteers have helped to remove 44,870 lbs. of trash from waterways in the Cherokee National Forest.

The most recent series total has the river cleanup nonprofit staged to surpass its record-breaking year in 2021, in which more than 700 volunteers removed over 152,000 lbs. of trash. So far in 2023, the group has already rallied 725 volunteers to remove 149,320 lbs. of trash from the Tennessee River watershed.

Volunteers helping out on Watauga Lake in Elizabethton, Tenn. pose with one of the five piles of trash that volunteers created on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2023. A total of 24 volunteers helped to remove 4,616 lbs. of trash that day.

Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) established the Cherokee National Forest River Cleanup Series to help preserve lakes in the Tennessee’s largest tract of public land, showcasing the vastness of the forest by hosting river cleanups spanning from South Holston Lake in Abingdon, Va. to Parksville Lake near Chattanooga, Tenn.

“The lakes within the Cherokee National Forest are some of the most stunning among the bodies of water in within the Tennessee River watershed and it’s always a privilege to showcase their stunning beauty as well as the need to address litter that has entered their waterways,” said Kathleen Gibi, Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) Executive Director. “We’re so grateful to Oris, additional sponsors and partners, and especially the volunteers for making this series such as success.”

UT student volunteers clean out primarily plastic litter from one of the six shorelines cleaned on Tellico Lake on Sunday, Feb. 19, where 29 volunteers removed 5,509 lbs. of trash.

KTNRB hosted four river cleanups in February and a rainchecked cleanup wrapping up the series on Sunday, Sept. 10, collaborating with local Keep America Beautiful affiliates and local governments:

CHEROKEE NATIONAL FOREST RIVER CLEANUP SERIES RESULTS

Feb. 5 Elizabethton, TN @ Watauga Lake of the Watauga River | 4,616 lbs. removed by 24 volunteers
Feb. 19 Vonore, TN @ Tellico Lake of the Little Tennessee River | 5,509 lbs. removed by 29 volunteers
Feb. 26 Benton, TN @ Parksville Lake of the Ocoee River | 1,462 lbs. removed by 6 volunteers
Sept. 10 Abingdon, VA @ South Holston Lake on the Holston River | 2,004 lbs. removed by 7 volunteers
TOTAL: 13,137 lbs. removed by 66 volunteers

A small group of 6 volunteers 1,462 lbs. of trash on Parksville Lake on Sunday, Feb. 26, as part of the Cherokee National Forest River Cleanup Series presented by Oris.

The 66 volunteers had other harrowing statistics from their efforts, including a total of 369 bags of trash and 32 tires removed.

“Oris was thrilled to partner with Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful for four cleanup events throughout 2023,” said V.J. Geronimo, Oris CEO – The Americas. “Working with dedicated volunteers and Oris enthusiasts to clean up nearly five tons of trash was enriching and most of all, impactful. Looking forward to continuing our collaboration as part of our Change For The Better program.”

A group of volunteers celebrate one of the piles of trash they collected to help beautify and protect South Holston Lake in Abningdon, Va. in the final cleanup of the Cherokee National Forest River Cleanup Series presented by Oris.

This year’s series was also boosted with help from staff from Allegheny CleanWays, a nonprofit that hosts river cleanup efforts on the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania. The organization’s Capt. Evan Clark drove KTNRB’s second 26-foot boat at the cleanups held on Watauga and Tellico lakes to accommodate the larger group of volunteers.

Additional partners like Keep Cleveland & Bradley County Beautiful, Keep Carter County Beautiful, Keep Jonesborough Beautiful, and Keep Southwest Virginia Beautiful all played a huge role in organizational details, recruiting, and participation. Monroe County Government, Waste Connections of Tennessee –Cleveland Hauling, Carter County Solid Waste, and Budget Dumpster all donated dumpster services for the trash to be hauled away from each cleanup.

The series was largely made possible by funding received from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Tennessee Dept. of Transportation’s ‘Nobody Trashes Tennessee’ litter campaign.

KTNRB plans to host its 4th annual Cherokee National Forest River Cleanup Series in 2024. For more information about KTNRB’s schedule, please visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/upcomingcleanups.