Volunteers Remove Litter from Conasauga Watershed for Make a Difference Day

We all think litter is unsightly, but it takes a group of special people to do something about it. The 29th annual Conasauga River Watershed Cleanup saw an incredible turnout of 219 dedicated volunteers from Dalton, Georgia, and the surrounding regions.

“It is heartening to experience dedicated and concerned volunteers amidst the heavy news in today’s world!” This is what Carl Wilms, Park Creek Elementary gardener and facilitator, said about the turnout for the cleanup.

Held in partnership with the United Way of Northwest Georgia's Make a Difference Day, this year's cleanup event proved to be a memorable one, filled with surprising discoveries, tireless efforts, and a shared commitment to preserving the natural beauty of the Southeastern United States.

During the cleanup, hosted in October on the United Way of Northwest Georgia’s Make a Difference Day, volunteers went to various sites across three counties to help clean up the watershed which transports water from the land into tributary streams and the Conasauga River. By removing litter from this area, it can be cleared away before it is too broken down by weathering to collect or before it is washed down the river and into the ocean by the flow of water.

Greatchen Lugthart, one of the cleanup organizers, said about her experience during the event, “It was amazing to see so many students participating in cleaning up their community.  They got in the water, got dirty, and found tires, buried carpet, car parts, and bikes at our site.  It’s sort of like a treasure hunt to see who can find the most unusual items.  We had a good time and the weather was great.” Some other surprising finds from this year includes a bowling ball at Crown Creek, a wading pool in the Mill Creek Tributary, and a folding chair at the Dalton Recreation Center.

Together, volunteers cleaned up 6,538 pounds of trash and 36 tires. Taking care of the Conasauga River, which winds through Polk County in Tennessee and along the border of Whitfield and Murray counties, and its tributaries helps create a more beautiful community and supports a healthy environment for the wildlife dependent on the river.

Discussing the impact of the cleanup, Stephen Bontekoe, Executive Director, for Limestone Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council said, “Reducing litter in the community not only improves the community aesthetic but also improves water quality for wildlife, sport and drinking water.”

Sites included in this year’s event were the Conasauga River at Highway 2 bridge and the Lower Kings/Norton bridge. Other cleanup sites included Holly Creek in Murray County, the snorkel hole in the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee, and Coahulla Creek at Prater’s Mill. City of Dalton sites included Crown Creek, Lakeshore Park, Al Rollins Park, Park Creek Elementary School, and a Mill Creek tributary. U.S. Forest Service employees from the Conasauga Ranger District cleaned up sites on Sumac and Rock Creeks on the Chattahoochee National Forest and Mohawk Industries employees cleaned up a small stream near the Dalton Recreation Center.

The event sponsors provided the funds needed to purchase cleanup supplies, commemorative fanny packs, hand sanitizer, patches, and t-shirts. They also helped the group purchase ten copies of Casper Cox’s Snorkeling Hidden Rivers of Southern Appalachia to raffle out to volunteers. Event sponsors and organizers include: Shaw Industries, Allchem, Engineered Floors, Dalton Utilities, North Georgia EMC, the Dalton Rotary Club, The Nature Conservancy, Rivers Alive, United Way of Northwest Georgia, Prater’s Mill Foundation, Dalton State College, Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, Mohawk Industries, Whitfield County Public Works, Limestone Valley RC&D, US Forest Service, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, Murray County and Whitfield County Extension, and Keep Chatsworth-Murray Beautiful. The amount of time donated by volunteers during this year’s event is valued at $20,892.

The Conasauga River Watershed Cleanup has long been a participant of the State of Georgia’s Rivers Alive, one of the South’s largest volunteer efforts to beautify water resources.  So far in 2023, 6,831 volunteers have participated in 95 clean-up events throughout the state and have removed 233,745 pounds of garbage from 944 miles of Georgia waterways. For more information about efforts in other areas or the statewide campaign, visit www.RiversAlive.org.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful and Local Girl Scout Win National Innovation Award

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful and Local Girl Scout Win National Innovation Award

This national award is chosen for innovative programs and partnerships that help create clean, green, and beautiful places in our community. This year 16 of 686 affiliates were recognized for their work.

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26th Annual Conasauga Watershed Clean-up

Join in on some socially distant fun!

Join in on some socially distant fun!

Whitfield County and Murray County residents are invited to participate in the 26th Annual Conasauga Watershed Clean-up event on Saturday, October 24, 2020 to help keep local waterways clean at one of seven locations.

One of the largest local volunteer events in the community the annual Conasauga River Clean-up is hosted in partnership with several local non-profits, businesses, and environmental organizations during United Way’s Make a Difference Day.

More than 10,000 pounds of garbage is typically removed during this event annually. “Volunteers that come out and participate are of all ages and walks of life so it is a wonderful opportunity to get to know other people while doing a service for your community.” Said Amelia Atwell, an event participant.

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.

This year’s event takes place concurrently from 9:00 am to noon at eight different sites across both Whitfield and Murray counties.

Be a part of the tradition by volunteering at one of the following 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. Lakeshore Park in the City of Dalton
7. Crown Creek in the City of Dalton
8. Conasauga River Snorkeling Hole, TN

Download the flyer with directions at http://www.keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org/

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 will be provided and at least the first 250 volunteers will receive a free neck buff and a baseball hat as a thank you for helping to clean-up our community's beautiful river and streams!

To learn more about the river cleanup call Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful at 706-278-5001 or visit www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org to download the event flyer with directions to each site. Join and share the event on Facebook page at www.facebook.com/KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.

Gretchen Lugthart, a long-time organizer of the event stated, “I think we have made some progress regarding people’s attitudes toward trash in this region, but until everyone respects our beautiful streams and rivers enough to dispose of trash properly, then we will have work to do.”

Event sponsors and organizers include: Shaw Industries, Engineered Flooring, Coosa River Basin Initiative, Rivers Alive, Dalton Utilities, United Way of Northwest Georgia, Dalton State College, Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, Whitfield County Public Works, Conasauga River Alliance, Limestone Valley RC&D, US Forest Service, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, Murray County and Whitfield County Extension, and Keep Chatsworth-Murray Beautiful.

Girl Scout Gold Award Project: Art CAN Inspire

One Girl Scout Creates Beautiful Art and Conquers Litter at the Same Time.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful was so honored when Abbie Burt, a local Dalton High School Catamount senior, approached us with her idea for her Girl Scouts Gold Award project to decrease litter and beautify our town. Abbie wanted to tackle litter and create beautiful and colorful art throughout the community at the same time by wrapping trash cans with bright, colorful works of art to draw the eye to where trash is supposed to go.

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This form of public art helped bring joy to the community when they passed by whether at Burr Park, Haig Mill Park, or the Mill at Crown Gardens. It’s an unexpected place for public art which is part of what sparks that happiness, but that unexpected place will help make a big difference in the community. Dalton is a watershed which means that every piece of litter you see that doesn’t get picked up ends up as marine debris. By encouraging people to engage with the trash bins, people are more likely to put trash where it goes and less likely to litter. Abbie started working on this back in November, but unfortunately with COVID-19, experienced setbacks and long periods of waiting. We think this project was worth the wait though!

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Abbie shared a few words with us about how she came up with this idea, why she cares, and her success;

I wanted to thank everyone in the community for their interest in my Art CAN Inspire project and for those who have taken the time to make sure to use the decorated cans at The Mill at Crown Gardens, Burr Park, and Haig Mill to decrease litter in our community. I care tremendously about this project because I care about my community and the well-being of this world. In today’s world, people do not know what the future holds when it comes to climate change, decreasing natural resources, and the overflow of trash in the ocean/world. Even though my project will make an unnoticeable change in the world’s statistics, it will make a noticeable change in my community. Change has to start somewhere, and something is better than nothing in terms of litter prevention. My hope is that this project served God and my country because it prevents littering and teaches people about the consequences of littering.
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Visit Abbie at at.can.inspire on Instagram or Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful on Facebook to see all of the designs.

Volunteer Spotlight! The Cowan Law Firm

Picking up trash along a city street and then handling a business dispute? All in a day’s work at The Cowan Law Firm. Last year, the Cowan Law Firm joined up with us through our Adopt-a-Mile program. They committed to cleaning up litter and keeping an entire mile of Dalton clean throughout the year.

Each quarter they pick up supplies like trash bags, grabbers, and gloves and take to Thornton Avenue to pick up litter dropped by passersby. After a full year, the Cowan Law Firm has removed hundreds of pounds of litter from our community.

Not only are they creating a better Dalton, but they are also creating a better world. The entire city of Dalton is a watershed which means that each piece of litter not picked up makes its way into the ocean. 80% of marine litter including marine plastics is from land-based sources, just like Dalton. Because of people like the volunteers at Cowan Law Firm, we’re able to cut down on our litter sources!

Check out a snippet of their blog below;


Love it! Don’t Trash it!

We have two things for you today: a story of success and a nod of appreciation.

The Cowan Law Firm began their day picking up litter through the Adopt-A-Mile program championed by Keep Dalton Whitfield Beautiful. As participants of this program, Rob, Brian, and Scott have committed to removing litter from both sides of Thornton Avenue between Tyler St. and Hamilton Medical Center quarterly each year.

We Heart Dalton ❤


To finish reading their blog post about their experience adopting a mile, click here.