Time to Take the Trash out of the Toccoa

The Toccoa River is the heart of nature in Fannin County.  On Oct. 1^st , Fannin residents and Toccoa River enthusiasts will gather together to thank the Toccoa for the pleasure it gives by taking the trash out of the river and Lake Blue Ridge.

Oct. 1^st is annual Rivers Alive cleanup beginning at Tammen Park.  There, between 8:45 and 9:00 am, volunteers will check in, get a t-shirt, gloves and garbage bags.  Ace Hardware is providing gloves and trash pick-up sticks.  Then the volunteers will break into groups and head off to Weaver Creak, Toccoa tailwaters, Deep Hole, Shallowford Bridge and other locations along the river and its feeder stream.  The largest group will walk the parts of Lake Blue Ridge shoreline.  TVA will not release water during the river cleanup event.

Volunteers should bring water and extra trash bags.  Rivers Alive also encourages boaters to bring their boats, kayaks and canoes to help with the trash within the river bed and lake.

At noon, volunteers will gather again at Tammen Park for lunch and the trash count.  Wal-mart is donating the food, Mercier  apples and Blue Ridge Dairy Queen sundaes. Faith Presbyterian and Trout Unlimited have donated the logistics of the whole event.

Rivers Alive has been holding its annual fall Toccoa cleanup for over 10 years.  The amount of participants has grown to 120 – 130 within the past few years.  In past cleanups, people gathered items like toasters, model airplanes and, one time, even a porcelain toilet.   If you or your organization would like more information about how to volunteer, call Beth Skillman, the Rivers Alive chair at 770-833-8637 or at skillmanba@yahoo.com.