EcoEKY: Green News from Eastern Kentucky

from the Corbin Times-Tribune:

Laurel Lake Cleanup scheduled for April 19

Published: April 03, 2008 09:54 am

Staff Report

The beach at Laurel River Dam will serve, yet again, as the staging area for this year’s annual Laurel Lake Cleanup.

This year’s event will be Saturday, April 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In recent years the cleanup has drawn more than 500 volunteers and organizers are optimistic that even more people will turn out this year to show their concern for one of southeast Kentucky’s most important resources.

“It has been rewarding to watch the way this event has grown over the years,” said John Strojan of the USDA Forest Service, one of the sponsoring organizations. “This is a great opportunity for lake users to give something back to the resource, and we hope they will come out again this year.”

Residents of Laurel and Whitley Counties will again be competing for the coveted “Cleanup Cup”, which is awarded to the county with the most volunteers. Last year’s competition was won for the sixth year in a row by Laurel County. Prior to Laurel County’s winning streak, Whitley won the cup for two consecutive years.

The Cleanup is not all work and no play. Volunteers receive a free lunch, T-shirt and a chance to win donated door prizes. They can also enter an item for consideration as the “Catch-of-the-Day.” This prize goes to the volunteer who locates the most unusual piece of trash.

Volunteers will register at the beach on the day of the event, but they are encouraged to pre-register ahead of time in order to give organizers an idea of how many participants to plan for. Pre-registration forms are available from Holly Bay and Grove Marinas, as well as the U.S. Forest Service London District Office. You can also pre-register by calling the Forest Service at (606) 864-4163.

Boat owners are encouraged to come and support the effort. Volunteers who do not have a boat of their own can hitch a ride on one of several boats that will be shuttling participants out to sections of shoreline where trash is located. There will also be vans available to help move volunteers to some of the lake access roads that will need cleaning.

The Laurel Lake Cleanup is organized by the Friends of Laurel River Lake, a group formed to promote efforts to keep the lake a clean, and healthy natural resource. This group includes the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Laurel and Whitley County Governments, PRIDE, Senture, London-Laurel County Tourism Commission and others, including concerned citizens and businesses in the Whitley and Laurel County area.

Businesses and organizations wishing to make donations to the event can contact the London-Laurel County Tourism Commission at (606) 878-6900.