Seventy volunteers and 13 boats are committed to work on the first-ever Big Clinch River Cleanup on Saturday, July 20. Among them will be professional fishing guides headed by Mike Bone, who are giving up a Saturday at the height of the season to help clear discarded tires and other debris from the Clinch River below Norris Dam.
Members of the press interested in covering the event can get information at www.crctu.org or by contacting Buzz Buffington atbuzzflo@bellsouth.net or (865) 437-9140, or Frances Oates at franceshoates@gmail.com or (865) 223-2055.
The event starts at 8 a.m. with a breakfast and briefing at the Museum of Appalachia, 2819 Andersonville Highway, Norris. The cleanup will wrap up in early afternoon.
Everyone who enjoys the river, from anglers to kayakers to wildlife watchers, has been invited to help remove litter from the Clinch and its banks. The communitywide cleanup is an expansion of annual pickups run for many years by members of the Clinch River Chapter, Trout Unlimited.
Clinch River Chapter TU works to preserve and protect the Clinch River tailwater and its watershed through conservation projects and through education of children and adults in aquatic natural resources. Meetings are held the second Thursday of the month in the parish hall at St. Francis Episcopal Church, Norris, except when outdoor activities are scheduled.