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In honor of National Public Lands Day on Saturday, Sept. 24 Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (CRK) and The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host a land-based cleanup at West Point Lake from 8:30 a.m. until noon.

According to Henry Jacobs, Middle Chattahoochee Director, CRK and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have worked together many times in the past.

Volunteers will meet at Holiday Campground for check-in at 8:30 a.m., then will board the West Point Lake Floating Classroom and take a boat ride to one of the parks on the lake that needs the most help. Volunteers should expect to spend two hours collecting trash from the shoreline of the lake before returning to Holiday Campground where lunch will be provided by the Corps.

To participate in the West Point Lake clean-up, volunteers must register in advance. Per the CRK website, there will be only 30 spots available on the CRK volunteer team. Interested parties can register at https://chattahoochee.org/event/national-public-lands-day-cleanup/.

The form for registration is for one person only. In order for CRK to plan for everyone, it’s asking any registrants not to bring any unregistered guests.

“It’s a great opportunity to help protect West Point Lake,” Jacobs said. “By volunteering on Sept. 24, with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, you’re not only helping local waterways be trash free, but you’re also helping make sure that our source of water is protected.”

Because of weather conditions, trash can potentially be carried downstream, so to combat that the exact location will be provided to registered volunteers a few days before the event

CRK encouraged all volunteers to dress accordingly. All cleanups involve getting in the river or a tributary, meaning that people who volunteer will most likely get wet or dirty. All necessary cleanup gear like gloves, bags, and trash grabbers will be provided.

Park Ranger Mike Linville noted why this annual event is so important to the communities surrounding West Point Lake.

“The lake provides a lot for us as a place of recreation, natural beauty and natural resources,” Linville said. “We want to do everything we can to preserve that, and by hosting this event every year, it gives the community the opportunity to work with the Corp to help keep our lake in the best condition possible.”

Linville said that there would be a number of different projects for volunteers to participate in this year, including a shoreline trash clean up, the construction of bird boxes and fish habitats as well as the repainting of several public facilities.

“We want to try and offer different ways for people to serve, that way more people will be able to help,” Linville said. 

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, all cleanups follow current CDC guidelines and will alert you of any protocols.

As a volunteer, you’ll receive a free one-year membership to Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.