Tennessee River Rescue rides again
Volunteers will wade into a mess of other people’s making Saturday, Oct. 1, for the Tennessee River Rescue.
But when they’re done pulling out tires, plastic bottles and tons of other trash, the banks of the Tennessee River and some of its tributaries will be clean again — at least for a while.
The Tennessee River Rescue was founded in 1988 as a grassroots effort by a group of local environmentalists disgusted by the amount of trash lining the riverbanks. Each year, hundreds of volunteers fan out across multiple work zones in Bradley, Hamilton and Marion counties, making mountains of discarded tires pulled from the river and filling garbage bag after garbage bag with smaller debris.
Organizers say the work of these eco-warriors is starting to pay dividends, but there will always be a need for the effort.
“We have noticed significant declines in the amounts of garbage we are removing from some of the zones,” says event coordinator Christine Bock on the event’s website. “It would be nice to find ourselves out of business one day, but right now that seems like wishful thinking.”
Volunteers may pitch in at any of 17 land and boat zones set up this year or even try scuba diving for trash.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and a minimum of two hours of work is requested. Souvenir T-shirts are available while supplies last. Gloves and garbage bags are provided. Rain date is Saturday, Oct. 8.
Find out more at http:// tennesseeriverrescue.org. For more information, call either of the two coordinators, Christine Bock at 423785-4024 or Nancy Brice at 423-413-0700.
BOAT ZONES › Booker T. Washington State Park: Meet Jesse Hewlett at the fishing pier; 423-827-9240, Levan.gardener@tn.gov › Harrison Bay State
Park: Meet Nancy Brice across from the marina; 423-413-0700 › Marion County Park:
Meet Vanessa Mangiapane
at the old boat ramp; 423424-9027, v.mangiapane13VM@gmail.com › Shellmound Recreation Area: Meet Mickey Rose across from the manager’s residence; 423-4214374, mtma07@aol.com › Suck Creek Boat
Ramp: Meet Sarah Quattrochi; 423-653-0091, sarahq@trgt.org
LAND ZONES CHATTANOOGA › Audubon Acres: Meet Chester Perry at 900 N. Sanctuary Road (on foot or bring your canoe); 423-892-1499, ksimpson@chattaudubon.org › Lookout Creek:
Meet Pat Carver at Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, 400 Garden Road; 423-304-6519, volunteer@reflectionriding.org › Mountain Creek:
Meet Adam Reynolds in the old Food City parking lot, 708 Signal Mountain Road; 423-209-7858, Adamr@hamiltontn.gov › North Chickamauga at Longview Drive:
Meet Rob Mares at 5414 Hixson Pike; 423-781-6394, Rob65498@yahoo.com › Rowing Center on
Citico Creek: Meet Valerie Bogie at 1001 Riverside Drive; 423-785-4094, vcb@tnaqua.org › South Chickamauga Creek: Meet Kat Levitt at Lightfoot Mill Road at South Chick Creek; 423667-7388, bigsurfwaves@yahoo.com
CLEVELAND ›
Mouse Creek: Meet Jeannie Cuervo at the Village Green, 201 Keith St.; 423-650-3927, jcuervo@ clevelandschools.org EAST RIDGE › Spring Creek: Meet Larry Clark at 1015 Yale St.; 423-443-1806, Larry5253@ att.net HARRISON ›
Ware Branch: Meet Mark Odom at the TWRA boat ramp off Thatch Road; 423-715-0162, mlodom@tva.gov
SIGNAL MOUNTAIN
› Mountain Arts Community Center: Meet Tony Pyron at 809 Kentucky Ave.; 423-280-1393 SODDY-DAISY ›
Blue Hole on North
Chickamauga Creek: Meet Jordan Sikkema at 534 Montlake Road; 423-326-5605, Jordan.Sikkema@tn.gov › North Chickamauga Creek: Meet Cindy McCroskey at Thrasher Pike and Frontage Road, 423-443-0074, cpmccroskey@comcast.net SCUBA ZONES
Interested in scuba diving for trash?
Contact Judy Yancey at 423-596-5718 for more information.