​Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful Matching Grant Challenge Underway

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful board members have accepted a matching grant challenge for $50,000 to establish an endowment fund with the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia. The group is already half way to meeting the goal of raising the funds, but requests your participation to make it all the way by the end of year.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is dedicated to creating a more vibrant community by focusing on programs and activities that end littering, improve recycling, or beautify communities. Christmas Tree and Electronics Recycling day, Adopt-a-Mile, #LiveLitterFree, and beautification grants for schools are just a few of the activities held this year.

Proceeds from the endowment fund will go towards events and educational campaigns, not staffing or office space, ensuring your donation will be used to fulfill the mission to create vibrant communities. Gifts to the endowment provide long term support to an organization led by volunteers who live and work locally.  

To contribute to the matching grant, make your check payable to: Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, and please mail to: Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful – Endowment 2016, P.O. BOX 3392, Dalton, GA 30719-3392.

You can request that an endowment fund letter be mailed to you by calling 706-278-5001, or filling out the request form online at www.keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful began in 1989 as the Dalton-Whitfield Clean and Beautiful Commission. About two years later it became an official Keep America Beautiful affiliate. The organization is now an independent non-profit with the same mission - to engage local residents in creating a more vibrant community for everyone.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation. They're proud to join them in advancing education and collective action to ensure that beauty is our lasting legacy.     

Magic of Recycling at Local Schools

The garbage monster makes a surprise appearance in the trash can held by magician Greg Allen during a special performance of the Magic of Recycling show at Pleasant Grove Elementary School on Friday, November 11.

Students look on as a rolled-up newspaper magically transforms back into a tree during the Magic of Recycling show with magician Greg Allen. The program was hosted at Pleasant Grove Elementary and six other local schools during the week of November 7.

Students enjoy a magical learning experience

(Dalton, GA, November 21, 2016) – During the week of November 7 students from seven elementary schools hosted professional magician Greg Allen for a special performance of the “Magic of Recycling”. The educational magic show brings the concept of recycling and landfills to life during an interactive 40-minute program that includes magic tricks and audience participation.

The program was sponsored by Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful’s recycling committee and the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority’s recycling center in honor of America Recycles Day which is celebrated on November 15. During the month of November you can take the pledge to recycle and learn more about recycling online at www.americarecyclesday.org.

Antioch, Cedar Ridge, Brookwood, Pleasant Grove, Dawnville, Westwood, and Dug Gap Elementary school hosted either one or two performances for students from Kinder to 5th grade for a total of 12 shows. Local schools currently recycle mixed paper, cardboard, and select beverage containers with the Authority’s recycling collection program Target Recycling at School.

Recycling was shown as a way to use things again and again conserving natural resources, and saving landfill space in the process. During the program students saw a glass bottle transform into a new glass bottle, witnessed a telephone book be recycled into a new one, and more. Students enjoyed watching the show while learning about the transformative power of recycling.

Volunteers Remove Litter from Conasauga Watershed During Make a Difference Day

Girl Scout Troop 14603 was at Lakeshore Park in Dalton where volunteers helped to remove more than two-thousand pounds of garbage during the river cleanup.

Dalton State College students and more than 60 volunteers removed litter from Lakeshore Park on Saturday, October 22 during the annual Conasauga River Watershed Cleanup.

Volunteers at Mill Creek Tributary and Underwood Apartments in Dalton removed more than two-thousand pounds of litter and illegally dumped tires from the watershed during Make a Difference Day.

Pictured are only a few of the 35 volunteers that helped to remove litter at Holly Creek in Murray County during the 2016 Conasauga River Watershed Cleanup event.

(Dalton, GA, November 21, 2016) – Used tires, litter, a car bumper, and an illegally dumped mattress were part of the 10,672 pounds of garbage removed by volunteers during the 22st Annual Conasauga River Watershed Cleanup Event on Saturday, October 22. The annual event took place during United Way’s “Make a Difference Day”.

Two-hundred and ninety-nine volunteers spent the morning removing trash, debris, and invasive plants from eleven locations in Whitfield and Murray counties. The amount of time donated by volunteers during this year’s event, approximately 1,196 hours, is valued at $25,714. “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.

Sites included in this year’s event were the Conasauga River at Carlton Petty Road Bridge, at Highway 2 bridge, and at Lower King’s Bridge and Norton Bridge. Also, Holly Creek in Murray County on the Chattahoochee National Forest, the Mill Creek tributary in the City of Dalton, Coahulla Creek at Prater’s Mill, and Lakeshore Park and Al Rollins Park in the City of Dalton.

Garbage found at each site was the result illegal dumping, irresponsible abandonment after using a site, or accidental loss of items from a vehicle with an unsecured load. Event participants encourage the public to pickup litter when they see it; properly secure loads on vehicles; take out what they take in at outdoor recreation areas; and properly dispose of tires and bulky items at an approved drop-off location.

“Be a good example for your children and others around you. If you see trash pick it up. If you see someone else throw out trash, ask them to pick it up.” Added Shell Underwood, longtime volunteer. Small efforts from everyone will result in a cleaner, healthier, and more beautiful environment. 

The following sponsors provided the funds needed to purchase t-shirts for volunteers, cleanup supplies, and hauled off the garbage: J+J Flooring Group, Shaw Industries, Dalton Utilities, Conasauga River Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, Georgia's Rivers Alive, Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, and Whitfield County Public Works.

Also, the following organizations helped coordinated the event: Conasauga River Alliance, Dalton State College, Dalton Utilities, Keep Chatsworth-Murray Beautiful, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, Limestone Valley RC & D, and Whitfield and Murray County Extension.

The Conasauga River, one of the six most biologically diverse freshwater river systems in the United States, supports twenty-four 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 participant of Rivers Alive, one of the South’s largest volunteer efforts to beautify water resources. So far this year, 8,259 volunteers have participated in 126 clean-up events through out the state and have removed 335,949 pounds of garbage from 629 miles of Georgia waterways. For more information about efforts in other areas or the statewide campaign visit www.RiversAlive.org.

22nd Annual Conasauga Watershed Clean-Up Seeks Volunteers for Seven Locations

Whitfield County and Murray County residents are invited to participate in the 22st Annual Conasauga Watershed Clean-up event on Saturday, October 22 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.

Last year 360 volunteers picked up and removed 11,463 pounds of garbage from seven locations. 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.”

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 seven 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 and 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

Participants are encouraged to arrive early for on-site registration. Volunteers can expect to spend a couple of hours in the morning picking up trash and, depending on the location, removing invasive plants like Chinese privet. Volunteers should wear sturdy shoes or boots, long pants, and long sleeve shirts. Gloves, and trash bags will be provided at each site. T-shirts with this year’s river cleanup logo will be available on a first come first serve basis.  

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.

Event organizers this year include: 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 Whitfield & Murray County Extension.

Sponsors include: Shaw Industries, J+J Flooring Group, Dalton Utilities, The Nature Conservancy, Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, and Whitfield County Public Works.

2016 School Beautification Grant Winners

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is pleased to announce the winners of the second annual School Beautification Grants for Fall 2016. The committee for Beautification and Community Greening established mini-grants in celebration of National Planting Day, which took place on September 9.

Public and private schools in the Dalton, GA and Whitfield County were invited to apply for funding to help implement a project related to planting native plants. Beautification grants ranged from a minimum of $100 to a maximum of $250. Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful has made these grants available to improve the visual aspects of our community by supporting initiatives that beautify the environment.

This year eight local schools were awarded a cash grant. Below is a list of schools that were awarded a grant and the name of their project.

1.             Christian Heritage School - Pathway to Pollination

2.             Eastbrook Middle - Patriotic Bog

3.             Pleasant Grove Elementary School - PGE Certified Wildlife Habitat

4.             Westwood Elementary School - Westwood Playground Garden

5.             Brookwood Elementary - Mini Lakeshore

6.             New Hope Middle School - Butterfly Garden

7.             Dug Gap Elementary - Stay Cool at School

8.             North Whitfield Middle School - Mulch and Beautify our School

Projects will be completed by December 2 and each recipient will submit a project summary by December 16 to showcase their work. Visit Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful’s website www.KeepDaltonWhtifieldBeautiful.org or follow them on Facebook to get updates on the progress of these projects.  

National Planting Day is celebrated annually by Keep America Beautiful in the fall as an opportunity to encourage volunteers to plant native species restoring ecological balance to the environment while creating greener, more beautiful communities. Learn more about this event at www.kab.org.