The 26th season of Renew Our Rivers (ROR) cleanups kicks off Saturday, March 1, at Valley Creek, in Adger, Birmingham, Bessemer and Providence.
Alabama Power ROR Coordinator Mike Clelland has scheduled 28 cleanups, which continue through next fall, with the last event to be held Oct. 31. While three events are yet to be announced, Clelland said most homeowner and boat owner (HOBO) groups and environmental groups have set firm dates for working on their waterways.
“We’re kicking off another quarter-century,” said Clelland, who this year expects to order about 5,000 ROR T-shirts for volunteers.
The popular lake and river cleanup program, which has spread throughout the Southeast, was birthed on Alabama Power’s Lake Neely Henry in Gadsden. Last year in the Yellowhammer State, nearly 3,400 volunteers removed about 107 tons of trash from company lakes and other waterways. Throughout the past 25 years, more than 104,000 ROR volunteers have cleared 13.4 million pounds of refuse from Alabama shorelines and waterways.
HOBO and environmental groups have turned in T-shirt orders to Clelland, who has helmed the cleanup for about 18 years.
“I’ve noticed that a couple of lake associations seem to be recruiting more volunteers this year. The energy for the program is still there, and it’s even increasing in some instances,” said Clelland, who gauges interest by the number of shirts requested and the number of teams put together by local lake associations. “I really think it’s continuing to grow.”
ROR volunteers scour the shores of Alabama Power lakes and other waterways while removing trash and refuse. The company’s Environmental Affairs group provides trash bags, gloves and trash grabbers used by volunteers, along with a free ROR T-shirt. (Alabama News Center file)
The number of volunteers has steadily increased since the pandemic, noted Clelland, an Environmental Affairs specialist at Alabama Power. “It’s slowly just been coming back up. I think people are still getting back to normal, wanting to get out and get involved in the community. … And we always have younger people involved in the cleanups.” He said ROR cleanups in urban areas often draw more high school- and college-age volunteers. Every year, scout groups also get involved.
Some groups will sponsor cleanups over several days. For example, the Logan Martin Lake Protection Association’s cleanup March 29 to April 5 includes six sites for volunteers to deposit refuse: Lakeside Park, Clear Creek Marina, Riverside landing, Wood’s Marina, Blue I Eatery and Coosa Island Marina.
Clelland urged volunteers to check for cleanup updates from various lake associations, which could push back events during rainy periods.
