Satilla Riverkeeper is proud to report that our river wide cleanup effort on Saturday, October 22, was a success!
Volunteers came out to eight sites stretched across over 200 miles of river, from the headwaters in Douglas (Coffee County) to where the river reaches the Atlantic Ocean south of Jekyll Island (Glynn County). 122 participants came out at 9 a.m. Saturday morning despite the cooler fall temperatures. Volunteers picked up trash along the riverbanks for two hours before heading to Twin Oaks Bluegrass Park for a complimentary lunch provided by Firehouse Subs in Waycross and Rivers Alive T-shirts.
Popular river access points along the Satilla River are known for having chronic trash problems. Trash negatively impacts the river’s water quality, the public’s recreational experience, wildlife, fishes, and eventually makes it’s way to the ocean impacting marine life as well. Satilla Riverkeeper hopes that through continued cleanup efforts such as these we will help bring awareness to the never ending trash left on the river. In addition, we hope to one day find a permanent solution to keeping trash out of the Satilla River, preserving the natural beauty of the river for generations to come!
This event was conducted in partnership with Rivers Alive, Georgia’s annual volunteer waterway cleanup event that targets all waterways in the state including streams, rivers, lakes, beaches, and wetlands. The mission of Rivers Alive is to create awareness of and involvement in the preservation of Georgia’s water resources.
In addition to partnering with Rivers Alive, Satilla Riverkeeper would like to thank the following community partners that contributed to our efforts and helped make this event a success: South Georgia State College; Keep Golden Isles Beautiful Friends of the Satilla River; Keep Brantley Beautiful and Litter Free; Pierce County Chamber of Commerce; CCGA – Biology Club; South Georgia Regional Commission; Georgia Sea Turtle Center; City of Douglas; Republic Services; Advanced Disposal; Firehouse Subs; American Rivers; Rivers Alive; Walmart Supercenter Waycross; Walgreens Waycross; Twin Oaks Bluegrass Park; Waycross Kroger; Carter Environmental Consulting, Inc.; Yarborough Printing; Seven Rivers; and Ace Equipment Company, Inc.
If you would like to host your own river cleanup for your family, school, church, or scout group, contact Satilla Riverkeeper at (912) 510-9500 or rachael @ satillariverkeeper.org. Be sure to ‘Like’ Satilla Riverkeeper on Facebook or ‘Follow’ us on Instagram!
Satilla Riverkeeper is a 501(c)(3) organization established in 2004 whose mission is to protect, restore and educate about the unique and beautiful black-water Satilla River.
– Submitted