Cleaning Up In This Town

Today is the annual Lake James Cleanup and we’ve elected to help more than 100 volunteers and 5 boats to cleanup the watershed and shoreline. This chore is made easier by the water level having been dropped over the past two weeks. One of the rangers told us the mountains, in the area, had more snow than usual and when it melts, it all runs downhill into the three rivers that drain into Lake James causing a higher than normal shoreline.

Each spring, area residents fortified by civic minded high school students and prisoners on a work release program remove tires, sheet metal, Styrofoam and anything else found in the lake that would prove to be an eyesore or a hazard to navigation. Work crews are also sent to high use areas like canoe portages and picnic sights to remove trash that has been left behind. I can’t help but be disgusted by the juxtaposition between people who enjoy the out of doors and those that are too lazy to carry out what they carried in.

My satisfaction grew with each orange bag that was cinched closed and readied for a ride back to the State Park picnic area where two huge roll off containers had been set to receive everything collected. Lunch was provided by all of the area fast food restaurants including Wendy’s, Burger King, Hardee’s, Dominoes, Little Caesar’s, Bojangles and  KFC.

An hour later, I was beginning to stiffen and could tell I had muscles that would be screaming at me by morning. I don’t care. We did good today!