Renew Our Rivers volunteers preparing for 2023 cleanups
For the 24th year in a row, volunteers are gearing up for the annual Renew Our Rivers cleanup campaign, with more than 30 events slated across Alabama in 2023.
This year’s campaign is scheduled to kick off on Feb. 11 on the Alabama River near Montgomery, with additional cleanups scheduled on reservoirs of the Black Warrior, Chattahoochee, Coosa, Dog, Mobile and Tallapoosa rivers. Cleanups are also scheduled to take place on Village and Valley creeks in Jefferson County.
“For nearly a quarter-century, our team at Alabama Power and volunteers from across the state have joined together to make a difference in helping preserve Alabama’s natural beauty,” said Susan Comensky, vice president of Environmental Affairs. “Renew Our Rivers, one of the nation’s largest cleanup efforts, helps protect water quality along some of our state’s most vital rivers, lakes and streams.”
Volunteers elevate Alabama through Renew Our Rivers from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Since the first cleanup along the Coosa River in Gadsden in 2000, nearly 98,000 Renew Our Rivers volunteers have removed more than 13 million pounds of trash from Alabama waterways.
The campaign quickly grew and spread to neighboring states. Combined with Alabama, more than 120,000 volunteers have participated in Renew Our Rivers cleanups, removing more than 16 million pounds of trash from Southeastern waterways.
Here is the lineup of Alabama cleanups slated for 2023, subject to change:
Feb. 11: Alabama River
Contact: John Paul O’Driscoll, 334-850-7153.
Feb. 18: Bankhead Lake (Black Warrior River)
Contact: Ronnie Tew, 205-908-4857.
March 4: Valley Creek, multiple locations
Contact: www.jcdh.org. Search for “Watershed Protection.”
March 7: Valley Creek/Oak Grove High School
Contact: www.jcdh.org. Search for “Watershed Protection.”
March 11: Chattahoochee River (Plant Farley)
Contact: Melanie Rogers, mlrogers@southernco.com.
March 17-18: Lake Eufaula (Chattahoochee River)
Contact: Brad Moore at bmooreless@gosuto.com.
March 25-April 1: Logan Martin (Coosa River)
Contact: Bud Kitchin, 256-239-0242.
March 25: Minor Heights Community at Village Creek
Contact: Hana Berres, hana.berres@jccal.org or 205-325-8741.
April 1: Lay Lake at Plant Gaston (Coosa River)
Contact: Gerson Pickett, glpickett@southernco.com.
April 1-9: Lay Lake (Coosa River)
Contact: Judy Jones, 205-669-4865.
April 14: Smith Lake (Cullman County)
Contact: Jim Murphy, 205-529-5981.
April 27-28: Smith Lake (Winston County)
Contact: Jim Eason, msgjeason@yahoo.com.
April 29: Weiss Lake
Contact: Sam Marko, 404-626-8594.
May 6: Lake Jordan (Coosa River)
Contact: Gayla Littlejohn, glittlejohn13@gmail.com
May 13: Lake Mitchell (Coosa River)
Contact: Dale Vann at 205-910-3713.
May 16-17: Smith Lake (Walker County)
Contact: Roger Treglown, 205-300-5253.
Aug. 5: Holt Reservoir
Contact: Becky Clark, 205-799-2449.
Aug. 12: Valley Creek, multiple locations
Contact: www.jcdh.org. Search for “Watershed Protection.”
Sept. 8: Smith Lake (Cullman County)
Contact: Jim Murphy, 205-529-5981.
Sept. 14-15: Smith Lake (Winston County)
Contact: Jim Eason, msgjeason@yahoo.com.
Sept. 20-21: Smith Lake (Walker County)
Contact: Roger Treglown, 205-300-5253.
Sept: 22-23: Village Creek
Contact: Yohance Owens, 205-798-0087.
Sept. 25-30: Neely Henry Lake (Coosa River)
Contact: Lisa Dover, 256-549-0900.
Oct. 3: Dog River (Mobile County)
Contact: Catie Boss, 251-829-2146, clboss@southernco.com.
Oct. 4-5: Mobile River (Plant Barry)
Contact: Jeff Reeves, 251-829-2746.
Oct. 7: Lake Mitchell (Coosa River)
Contact: Dale Vann, 205-910-3713.
Oct. 12: Plant Miller (Locust Fork)
Contact: Marybeth Vines, 205-488-2033, mewillis@southernco.com.
October 13-14: Lake Demopolis
Contact: Jason Arledge, cjarledg@southernco.com
Oct. 24-26: Lake Harris (Tallapoosa River-Lake Wedowee)
Contact: Crystal White, 256-396-5093 or Marlin Glover, 770-445-0824.
Nov. 3-4: Lake Martin (Tallapoosa River)
Contact: John Thompson, 334-399-3289, https://www.lmra.info/contact-us.
Date TBD: Plant Gorgas (Mulberry Fork)
Contact: John Pate, 205-686-2324, johpate@southernco.com.
For more information about Renew Our Rivers visit apcshorelines.com. For more information about Alabama Power’s broader environmental stewardship efforts, click here.