360 Volunteers Cleanup the Conasauga Watershed

Volunteers at the Mill Creek tributary located by the Underwood Apartments in Dalton removed 2,560 pounds of trash and debris during the annual cleanup event.

360 volunteers from Whitfield and Murray Counties participated in the 20th Annual Conasauga River Watershed Clean-up on Saturday, October 25.  The annual event took place during the United Way’s “Make a Difference Day”.  Volunteers spent the morning removing trash, debris, and invasive plants from seven sites in the two counties.  Overall, volunteers collected and removed 10,630 pounds of trash, which included 20 tires. 

Event organizers want to thank everyone who participated and contributed to the success of this year’s event.  The amount of clean-up time donated by volunteers, approximately 1,440 hours, is valued at $29,908.  Volunteers received a t-shirt and a 2015 calendar or coffee mug customized with images of the Conasauga watershed in appreciation for their participation. 

Volunteers removed 4,280 of trash from Coahulla Creek at Prater’s Mill during the annual Conasauga Watershed cleanup event on October 25.

Organizers want to especially thank this year’s funding sponsors: Shaw Industries, J&J Industries, Dalton Utilities, Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, Georgia Rivers Alive, The Nature Conservancy, and the Conasauga River Alliance.  Also, they would like to recognize these additional organizations that helped coordinated the event: Carpet & Rug Institute, Conasauga River Alliance, Dalton State College, Dalton Utilities, Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, Keep Chatsworth-Murray Beautiful, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, Limestone Valley RC & D, The Nature Conservancy, and Murray County Extension.

The Conasauga River, one of the six most biologically diverse freshwater river systems in the United States, supports 24 endangered species and a dozen other imperiled species, including the Southern Pigtoe mussel and the Conasauga logperch, a fish found nowhere else in the world.  The Conasauga Watershed Clean-up has long been a part of Rivers Alive, a statewide campaign to clean and preserve over 70,000 miles of Georgia’s rivers and streams.

Rivers Alive continues to be the state’s and one of the South’s largest volunteer efforts to beautify water resources.  So far this year, 8,900 volunteers have participated in 192 clean-up events through out the state and have removed 388,308 pounds of garbage from Georgia waterways. For more information about efforts in other areas or the statewide campaign visit www.RiversAlive.org.

20th Annual Conasauga Watershed River Clean-up Announced

(Dalton, GA, October 18, 2014) –  Be a part of the local tradition on Saturday, October 25 when you join other volunteers in cleaning up the Conasauga Watershed.  Registration opens at 9:00 am at each of the seven clean up sites located in Whitfield and Murray Counties.  Choose a site and enjoy some muddy merriment as you serve your community and help care for our area’s beautiful streams and river! 

This year’s clean-up will take place at seven locations:

1. Conasauga River at Carlton Petty Road bridge

2. Conasauga River at Highway 2 bridge

3. Conasauga River at Lower King’s Bridge/Norton Bridge

4. Holly Creek, Murray County, on the Chattahoochee National Forest

5. Mill Creek tributary in the City of Dalton

6. Coahulla Creek at Prater’s Mill

7. Lakeshore Park in the City of Dalton

The 20th Annual Conasauga Watershed Clean-up is held in conjunction with Northwest Georgia United Way’s Make A Difference Day and Georgia’s Annual Waterway Clean-Up, Rivers Alive.  The first 250 volunteers will receive a free shirt, and a limited number of Conasauga calendars or Conasauga coffee mugs will also be available. 

Sturdy shoes or boots, gloves, long pants, and long sleeved shirts are recommended.  Hip or chest waders are useful, but are not required.  Trash bags and other supplies will be provided. 

One of the six most biologically diverse freshwater river systems in the United States, the Conasauga River supports 24 endangered species and a dozen other imperiled species, including the Southern Pigtoe mussel and the Conasauga logperch, a fish found nowhere else in the world.

SPONSORS:    Shaw Industries, J&J Industries, Dalton Utilities, Dalton-Whitfield Georgia Rivers Alive, Regional Solid Waste Management Authority (DWRSWMA), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and the Conasauga River Alliance (CRA).

COORDINATORS:  Carpet & Rug Institute, CRA, Dalton State College, Dalton Utilities, DWRSWMA, Keep Chatsworth-Murray Beautiful, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, Limestone Valley RC & D, TNC, and Murray County Extension.

For additional information, please contact John Lugthart at jlugthart@daltonstate.edu, or 706-272-2485. To download the event flier with directions visit  www.keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org.

Bulky Waste Round Up Event on June 21, 2014

Annual Bulky Waste and Electronics Collection Day for Whitfield County Announced

The 2014 Bulky Waste Round Up is scheduled for Saturday, June 21, from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm at four drop-off locations in Whitfield County.  During the event Whitfield county residents may properly dispose of or recycle bulky waste without paying transportation fees.  The main location is the Old Dixie Hwy. Landfill and Convenience Center at 4189 Old Dixie Hwy. S.E., in Dalton.  Additional locations are the parking lots for Westside Middle School, North Whitfield Middle School, and the old Eastbrook Middle School gym parking lot facing Hill Street.  

Bulky waste refers to items that are too big for a typical household garbage can, like furniture and appliances.  Each of the four drop-off locations will be accepting bulky waste such as mattresses, box springs, sofas, couches, indoor furniture, appliances, baby or child car seats, bookshelves, large plastic toys, grills, swing sets, gym equipment, plastic swimming pools, patio furniture, basketball goals, and scrap metal. 

Electronics to be collected at each location include items like laptop and desktop computers, MP3 players, video game systems, digital cameras, video recorders, DVD players, cellphones, smartphones, scanners, printers, tablets, current television sets, and eBook readers.

Items that are not accepted at the three school locations include tires, home remodeling debris or waste, and household hazardous waste.  Those items need to be delivered to the Old Dixie Highway Landfill and Convenience Center location during the event hours.  Tires will be charged the regular recycling rate that starts as low as $2.00 per tire for passenger vehicles.  Home remodeling debris can be properly disposed of for at the special rate of 1 cent per pound.  Household Hazardous Waste, which includes items such as household pesticides, swimming pool chemicals, varnish and latex paints, can be dropped off free of charge.  For more information about each category visit www.DWSWA.org, call 706-277-2545, or 706-278-5001.

If you are unable to attend the event this year, please note that Household Hazardous Waste is accepted at the Old Dixie Hwy. Landfill and Convenience Center on the third Saturday of each month from 7 am to 2 pm.  Electronics, scrap metal, and bulky waste are accepted year round for no charge at the same location, Monday thru Friday 7 am to 6 pm, and Saturday 7 am to 3 pm.  Three additional Convenience Centers in Whitfield County also accept tires and bulky waste year round with applicable fees.

No matter what you need to drop-off or when, don’t forget to secure your load for cleaner roads. Tie down and put a tarp on items placed in the back of a pick-up truck or trailer. 

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, and Whitfield County Public Works organize this annual event.  For more information or to volunteer, call Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful at 706-226-6211, or e-mail lswafford@dwswa.org.

Compost Bin Sale - Saturday, May 17, 2014

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE EVENT FLYER. 

(Dalton, GA, May 14, 2014) – Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is having a Compost Bin Sale during the Downtown Dalton Saturday Market at the Dalton Green. This Saturday, May 17, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm volunteers will be selling a limited number of the “Garden Gourmet” Backyard Composter for only $45.00 each, almost 50% off the retail price of $79.99.  Residents will receive a free perennial with their purchase while supplies last.

The “Garden Gourmet” backyard composter is an attractive bin that fits neatly into almost any backyard space thanks to its compact size of 24”x24”x36”.   The easy to assemble bin is made from 51% recycled plastic and includes convenient features like a sliding bottom door to remove compost.  It’s an ideal choice for beginners since it includes a basic composting guide. There are only 60 bins available for sale this year. 

Gardeners refer to composting as “turning your garbage into gold” because it keeps food scraps and organic waste out of the landfill while allowing nature to recycle them into a nutritious soil amendment.   Items that can be added to your compost pile include coffee grounds, tea bags, fruit and vegetable scraps, leaves, hair, and grass clippings. 

A portion of each sale benefits environmental education for K-12 students in Whitfield County, and several Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful events like Christmas Tree Recycling Day.  For more information call Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful at 706-226-6211 or visit www.keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org. 

International Compost Awareness Week, organized by the US Composting Council, is celebrated during the first week of May.  For more information, and to learn more about composting visit the US Composting Council at www.compostingcouncil.org.  

Conasauga River Watershed Cleanup Honored by Confluence Award

Pictured from Left: Gretchen Lugthart and Katie Owens, Conasauga River Watershed organizers, accepting the Confluence award from Rivers Alive representative Lynn Cobb during the River’s Alive award ceremony on April 15

(Dalton, GA, April 30, 2014) –  Volunteers and stream cleanup organizers from across the state recently met in Atlanta to celebrate the accomplishments of the state’s largest volunteer cleanup program, Rivers Alive.  The Rivers Alive awards honor the efforts of individuals and groups who are working to improve Georgia’s waterways, one trash bag at a time.  Volunteers wade into rivers, lakes and coastal waters each fall as part of the continuing statewide campaign to clean and preserve more than 70,000 miles of Georgia waterways.

The Rivers Alive awards ceremony, held on April 15 at Zoo Atlanta, recognized groups of volunteers, as well as individuals and businesses for their efforts in 2013.  The Confluence award, which recognizes successful community partnerships, was awarded to organizers of the annual Conasauga River Watershed Cleanup event.  Confluence, defined as the flowing together of two or more streams, or rivers, clearly describes the coming together of local organizations for one purpose.  The members of the organizing committee for the annual cleanup are Jeff Carrier (Carpet & Rug Institute), Dirk Verhoeff (Conasauga River Alliance & Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority), Gretchen and John Lugthart (Dalton State College), Phillip Pfeifer and David Oxford (Dalton Utilities), Sandy Adams (Keep Chatsworth-Murray Beautiful), Liz Swafford (Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful), Josh Smith and Dan Huser (Limestone Valley RC & D), Brenda Jackson (Murray County Extension), Katie Owens (The Nature Conservancy), and Chris Hester (Whitfield County).

“This is certainly an appropriate award for our group,” said John Lugthart, one of the organizers and a Dalton State professor of biology.  “We have a great team of people, all of whom are committed to educating our community about the importance of protecting our local streams and the Conasauga River.  We are coming up on our 20th annual cleanup and are still going strong!”

During the 2013 watershed cleanup 258 volunteers from Whitfield and Murray Counties removed trash, debris, and invasive plants from seven sites in the two counties.  Overall, volunteers collected and removed 8,329 pounds of trash and 37 tires. 

Funding sponsors for the 2013 event included: Shaw Industries, J&J Industries, Dalton Utilities, Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, The Nature Conservancy, and the Conasauga River Alliance. 

At the state level, during the 2013 Cleanup, 27,679 volunteers cleaned more than 1,800 miles of waterways and removed over 500,000 pounds of trash and recyclables, including car parts, grocery carts, luggage, basketballs, TVs, sinks, bicycles, tires and plastic bottles. Rivers Alive is a program of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division. “Rivers Alive cleanups provide important opportunities for citizens to make a big difference while volunteering just a few hours of their time,” said EPD Director Jud Turner. “Citizens return home with a greater awareness of how our everyday choices impact our environment.”

About Rivers Alive

Rivers Alive targets cleanups across all waterways in the State of Georgia including rivers, lakes, and coastal waters.  The mission of Rivers Alive is to create awareness of and involvement in the preservation of Georgia’s water resources.  To volunteer or participate in a local cleanup effort or to obtain more information about the statewide campaign, call 404-463-1464 or go to www.riversalive.org.