Cleaning Up Our Own Backyard

This fall, a group from Interra joined Ranger Dave Thomas and his crew for a cleanup of the Chattahoochee River Park and National Recreation Area in Atlanta, GA. The park follows a 48-mile stretch of river that starts at the Buford Dam which creates Lake Lanier, one of Georgia’s largest lakes, and it ends not far from our headquarters. The park is a predominate means for recreation activities like boating, hiking, fishing, and outdoor education.  It also contains a wide variety of flora and fauna and many historical sites.  Some of the trails run very close to our office; on a given day around lunchtime you might run into several of our employees taking a walk or a run.

The section we focused on for our river cleanup was Paces Mill Park, East Palisades Trail, Bob Callan Trail, and the banks of Rottenwood Creek. We spent the morning collecting everything from normal household trash to parts of vehicle tires, a hubcap, a high-heeled shoe, and some children’s toys. As a team, we collected a total of 600 pounds (270 kilos) of trash. Imagine what we could accomplish with an entire day or with more Interra cleanup events!

Volunteer cleanups are a crucial part of maintaining the Chattahoochee River Park that many of us love and protecting the river watershed in which we like to play. The National Park Service, along with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Rivers Alive, and the Chattahoochee River Conservancy spend a great deal of time focused on maintaining the river park and helping to protect it so future generations can enjoy what nature has to offer. Cleanups span from annual large-scale events like Sweep the Hooch to smaller activities like land-based trash cleanups, simple trail maintenance, exotic plant pulls, and water-based river cleanups.