26th Renew Our Rivers cleanup season starts Saturday, March 1
The 26th season of Renew Our Rivers (ROR) cleanups kicks off Saturday, March 1, with the Valley Creek event that includes Adger, Birmingham, Bessemer and Providence.
Alabama Power ROR Coordinator Mike Clelland has scheduled numerous cleanups that continue through next fall, with the last event to be held Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Clelland said most homeowner and boat owner (HOBO) groups and environmental groups have set firm dates for working on their waterways.
“We’re kicking off another quarter-century,” said Clelland, who this year expects to order about 5,000 ROR T-shirts for volunteers.
The popular lake and river cleanup program, which has spread throughout the Southeast, was birthed on Alabama Power’s Lake Neely Henry in Gadsden. Last year in the Yellowhammer State, nearly 3,400 volunteers removed about 107 tons of trash from company lakes and other waterways. Throughout the past 25 years, more than 104,000 ROR volunteers have cleared 13.4 million pounds of refuse from Alabama shorelines and waterways.
HOBO and environmental groups have turned in T-shirt orders to Clelland, who has helmed the cleanup for about 18 years.
“I’ve noticed that a couple of lake associations seem to be recruiting more volunteers this year. The energy for the program is still there, and it’s even increasing in some instances,” said Clelland, who gauges interest by the number of shirts requested and the number of teams put together by local lake associations. “I really think it’s continuing to grow.”
ROR volunteers scour the shores of Alabama Power lakes and other waterways while removing trash and refuse. The company’s Environmental Affairs group provides trash bags, gloves and trash grabbers used by volunteers, along with a free ROR T-shirt. (Alabama News Center file)
The number of volunteers has steadily increased since the pandemic, noted Clelland, an Environmental Affairs specialist at Alabama Power. “It’s slowly just been coming back up. I think people are still getting back to normal, wanting to get out and get involved in the community. … And we always have younger people involved in the cleanups.” He said ROR cleanups in urban areas often draw more high school- and college-age volunteers. Every year, scout groups also get involved.
Some groups will sponsor cleanups over several days. For example, the Logan Martin Lake Protection Association’s cleanup March 29 to April 5 includes six sites for volunteers to deposit refuse: Lakeside Park, Clear Creek Marina, Riverside landing, Wood’s Marina, Blue I Eatery and Coosa Island Marina.
Clelland urged volunteers to check for cleanup updates from various lake associations, which could push back events during rainy periods.
2025 ROR cleanup schedule
March 1: Valley Creek: Adger, Birmingham, Bessemer
and Providence
Contact: Hana Berres 205-325-8741 or burwinklej@jccal.org
March 22: Minor Heights Community at Village Creek
Contact: Hana Berres; burwinklej@jccal.org; 205-325-8741
March 28-29: Lake Eufaula (Chattahoochee River)
Contact: Brad Moore at bmooreless@gosuto.com
March 29-April 5: Logan Martin (Coosa River)
Contact: Bud Kitchin, 256-239-0242
April 12: Lay Lake (Coosa River)
Contact: Karen Jenson at karenkjenson3@icloud.com
TBD: Lay Lake at E.C. Gaston Plant (Coosa River)
Contact: Andy Foster; 205-669-8129
April 17-18: Smith Lake (Winston County)
Contact: Jim Eason at msgjeason@yahoo.com
April 25: Smith Lake (Cullman County)
Contact: Jim Murphy at 205-529-5981
April 26: Weiss Lake
Contact: Matt Adams 678-347-5171
May 3: Lake Jordan (Coosa River)
Contact: Gayla Littlejohn at glittlejohn13@gmail.com
May 10: Lake Mitchell (Coosa River)
Contact: Ken McElroy 205-907-6011
May 20-21: Smith Lake (Walker County)
Contact: Roger Treglown 205-300-5253
May 31: Chattahoochee River (Plant Farley)
Contact: Melanie Rogers at mlrogers@southernco.com
June 7: Holt Reservoir
Contact: Vanessa Jones 205-361-3939
Aug. 9: Valley Creek — Fairfield, Midfield, Hueytown,
Pleasant Grove and Brighton
Contact: www.jcdh.org/wpd
Sept. 4-5: Smith Lake (Winston County)
Contact: Jim Eason at msgjeason@yahoo.com
Sept. 17-18: Smith Lake (Walker County)
Contact: Roger Treglown at 205-300-5253
or Terry Freeze, 662-304-0234
Sept. 19-20: Lake Demopolis
Contact: Jason Arledge at cjarledge@southernco.com
Sept. 22-27: Neely Henry Lake (Coosa River)
Contact: Lisa Dover at 256-549-0900
Sept. 27: Village Creek
Contact: Marilyn Roberts at marilynvilcreek@bellsouth.net
Sept. 30: Dog River (Mobile County)
Contact: Angel Daw at tadaw@southernco.com
Oct. 1-2: Mobile River (Plant Barry)
Contact: Walter Rosenbohm, 251-829-2347
Oct. 4: Lake Mitchell (Coosa River)
Contact: Ken McElroy, 205-907-6011
Oct. 9: Plant Miller (Locust Fork)
Contact: Marybeth Vines; 205-488-2033 or mewillis@southernco.com
Oct. 10: Smith Lake (Cullman County)
Contact: Jim Murphy, 205-529-5981
Oct. 21-23: R.L. Harris (Tallapoosa River-Lake Wedowee)
Contact: Crystal White, 256-396-5093; or Scott Teal, 770-301-7494
Oct. 31-Nov. 1: Lake Martin (Tallapoosa River)
Contact: Steve Robinson, 256-654-0047
or https://www.lmra.info/contact-us.