Tellico Cleanup Day 2002

by Stefan Roth

The Third Annual Tellico River Cleanup Day on March 9, 2002 was sponsored by Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, Trout Unlimited, Tellico Ranger Station in Cherokee National Forest (Tennessee), and Tusquitee Ranger Station in Nantahala National Forest (North Carolina). The Forest Service provides trash bags and trash bag pickup during the event. The user groups provide volunteers to pick up trash along the many miles of roads and river.

The day started off with a weather forecast for rain and thunder storms throughout the region. However, 44 volunteers from the Southern Four Wheel Drive Association showed up Saturday at the State Line to sign in for trash pick up duties.

Thirty volunteers from Trout Unlimited showed up at the Tellico Ranger station, several miles down-river, to pick up trash along lower sections of the river.

Southern Four Wheel Drive Association and Trout Unlimited members sponsor this event once a year to volunteer to keep our recreational lands clean and looking beautiful. We are all interested in keeping public lands open for public use.

Volunteers spent their time picking up trash that people should not have so carelessly thrown away.

The large numbers of volunteers made the work go quickly and easily, plus it provided welcome cameraderie.

A father and son team up in the process of picking up trash. All our events are family-oriented affairs.

The day was not all work. Sharon Tremblay of the Middle Tennessee Trail Runners brought a big batch of home-made brownies! They went fast. If you showed up late, you didn't get any.

Thank you Sharon!

Fortunately, with our regular annual cleanup day, there is not too much trash along the river and the roads. However, with the many miles we cover, it does add up.

For the 2001 cleanup day, there were a total of 61 people who volunteered 305 hours of their time to the clean up, according to Mary Jane Burnette of the Forest Service and we picked up about 300 bags of trash and a variety of other items including grills, car parts, coolers, bottles, cans, etc. (more on the 2001 event here).

Luckily for us, the rain held off until the afternoon, when it started pouring hard.

In addition to the trash cleanup, a small group of volunteers also emptied silt traps on trail #5. The totals for all the work was not yet available at the time of this writing, but the information will be added as it becomes available.

The natural beauty of the Tellico River is outstanding. The area is a popular recreational destination due to its beauty and accessibility.

The two primary recreational activities are fishing and 4-wheeling, but also include hunting, hiking, canoeing, and camping. The Tellico River is stocked with trout during the season and its upper waters and tributaries are good fishing grounds for native species of trout. Be sure to get a fishing license and trout stamp for North Carolina or Tennessee.

The Upper Tellico ORV Area (North Carolina) is the premier off-road vehicle trail system in the southeast. The trails are medium difficulty all the way up to the most extreme difficulty. Our family members have a lot of fun tackling the challenging trails. The 1000 members of Southern Four Wheel Drive Association spend thousands of volunteer hours and thousands of dollars every year on trail maintenance to help keep this and other areas open. Please remember to stay only on legal trails. Do not drive off the trails or take any illegal bypass or ghost trails. Be sure to pay the daily fee at the entrance stations. The fees help the Forest Service keep the area open. Thank you!

To see the complete photobook, click here.

To see a report from Larry Fox, U.S. Forest Service, about the work done in North Carolina in the Tusquitee Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest, click here.

Here is the report from Mary Jane Burnette, U.S. Forest Service, about the work done in Tennessee in the Tellico Ranger District of the Cherokee National Forest:

The clean up was a major success. We had 115 participants with around 65 of them being SFWDA members or connected with you. Trout Unlimited had the next largest group and the rest consisted of Boy Scouts, the Sequoyah Hiking Club, and local members of the community.

The Tennessee side collected around a ton of trash and I believe you guys had around a ton and a half. I'd say that is pretty good for a days work. I really appreciate you advertising this event and for drumming up support. Believe it or not, it wouldn't hurt to do another already!

Thanks again and please pass on the thanks to all your participants on behalf of the Forest Service.

Sincerely,
Mary Jane Burnette
Tellico Ranger District

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