Thanks to Dedicated Volunteers Who Return Each Year
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is a state-run division that covers many responsibilities for the protections and cultivation of Georgia’s wildlife and environmental protections. While they offer a variety of programs for education and enforcement, in the early 1990’s they launched a waterway cleanup program called Rivers Alive and that has become wildly popular and successful.
Tucker Civic Association signed on with Rivers Alive in 2008. Each fall since, TCA has hosted over one hundred volunteers to cleanup the South Fork Peachtree Creek. Tucker citizens join forces removing tires, bottles, furniture and other garbage from the waterway.
“Tucker has always had a strong volunteer spirit,” Tucker Rivers Alive Volunteer Katherine Atteberry said. “Rivers Alive is another way Tucker demonstrates the community's commitment to a healthy environment and the well-being of its residents.”
TCA’s Rivers Alive in 2010 is the record-breaking year in the history of the event at South Fork Peachtree Creek. The group removed 16,200 pounds of trash and recyclables. This included 362 plastic bottles, 450 glass bottles, 82 tires, 11 appliances and seven pieces of furniture. Over the years the volunteer power in the community of Tucker hauled out over 120,000 pounds of trash from in and around the South Fork of Peachtree Creek and its tributaries. In total, the Rivers Alive program has collected more than 12 million pounds of trash over the years.
These efforts have led to TCA being named the GA EPD Non-Profit Organization of the Year in both 2012 and 2018. Along with statewide recognition it is satisfying for the community to see the fruits of their labor.
“Rivers Alive is important for Tucker because it gives individuals a tangible way to make a positive impact on the environment,” Atteberry said. “It is satisfying to see the immediate results of your efforts such as bags of collected trash and a cleaner creek. Every year we wrap up with a satisfying sense of accomplishment and a dumpster full of trash.”
In addition to the warm fuzzy feeling of doing good for the environment, volunteers receive breakfast, lunch and a t-shirt for their efforts.
“Rivers Alive brings together diverse groups of volunteers who share a common goal to improve our environment,” Atteberry said. “Working alongside neighbors, friends, and strangers fosters a sense of community and camaraderie. Quite a few of our volunteers come back every year and it is great to see them and give them another Rivers Alive shirt for their collection.”
The 14th annual Tucker Rivers Alive event will take place on October 7, 2023, 9 a.m. to noon. People who would like to volunteer can get more information and a link to sign up at tuckercivic.org.
