NEWS: Volunteers Needed for Wake County Big Sweep

9/16/2009

Wake County residents are invited to volunteer for the 2009 Wake County Big Sweep each Saturday from September 19, 2009, through October 17, 2009. Sixteen of the 25 cleanup sites need volunteers and are listed by date, town and watershed below. Each site description provides information on how to preregister with the site’s Big Sweep Zone Captain and directions to the site.

Volunteers will gather at 25 designated watershed sites to clean up litter in Cary, Garner, Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, Morrisville, Raleigh, Zebulon, and north and south Wake County. Of these sites, four are Wake County Parks: Blue Jay Point, Harris Lake, Lake Crabtree and Historic Yates Mill. The Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation will follow this effort with a Fall Neuse River Clean-Up on Saturday, October 10, 2009. Wake County Big Sweep is part of the statewide North Carolina Big Sweep that strives to make our state litter-free, and the Ocean Conservancy that sponsors the annual International Coastal Cleanup in 104 countries worldwide. The Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District coordinates Big Sweep county-wide with numerous and diverse partners, including local municipalities.

Zone Captains at each site provide gloves, trash bags, recycle bags, and Big Sweep data cards to track the type and amount of trash collected. Volunteers should wear work clothes, pants and boots, and bring water to drink. The data is compiled and sent to the Ocean Conservancy, which uses the data to target specific audiences for litter prevention education.

In fall 2008, 653 volunteers cleaned 56 miles of shoreline at 28 Wake County watersheds, collecting 14,950 pounds of trash and diverting 5,510 pounds of recyclables from the landfill.

The public is invited to participate in the following events:

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Walnut Creek Wetland, Raleigh, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Wetland Center, 950 Peterson St., Raleigh. Contact Zone Captain Ross Andrews at ross.andrews@ci.raleigh.nc.us.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Bass Lake, Holly Springs, 9 a.m.-noon.
Meet at the Bass Lake Park and Retreat Center parking lot, 900 Bass Lake Road, Holly Springs. Preregister by calling 919-557-2496.
Harris Lake, New Hill, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Meet at the Peninsula Trail Entrance of Harris Lake County Park, Highway 1 South to Exit 89, New Hill Road, New Hill. For information, call 919-387-4342.

Saturday, October 3, 2009 – N.C. Big Sweep Day

Black Creek, Cary, 9:30 a.m.
Meet at the Black Creek Greenway trailhead parking lot across the street from Godbold Park on Maynard Road, Cary.
Bond Lake, Cary 9 a.m.
Meet at the boathouse at Fred G. Bond Metro Park, 801 High House Road, Cary. For information, call 919-469-4100.
Lake Benson and Swift Creek, Garner, 8:30 a.m.-noon
Meet at the boathouse at Lake Benson Park, 975 Buffaloe Road, Garner. This cleanup is appropriate for families with children ages 5 and up. For information, call 919-772-4688 or e-mail jsumner@garnernc.gov.
Lake Crabtree, Morrisville, 9 a.m.
Meet at the boat rental complex at Lake Crabtree County Park, 1400 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville. To register, call 919-460-2723.
Falls Lake, Raleigh, 9 a.m.-noon
Meet at Blue Jay Point County Park, 3200 Pleasant Union Church Road, Raleigh. Call the park office at 919-870-4330 or e-mail bluejaypoint@wakegov.com for information.
Lake Johnson, Raleigh, 9 a.m.-noon
Meet at the Boat House at Lake Johnson Park, 4601 Avent Ferry Road, Raleigh. For information, call 919-233-2121.
Lake Wheeler, Raleigh, 9 a.m.-noon
Meet at the concession area near the boat launch at Lake Wheeler Park, 6404 Lake Wheeler Road, Raleigh. For information, call 919-662-5704.
Marsh Creek, Raleigh, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Meet on the bridge between Stoneybrook Drive and Skycrest Drive, Raleigh. To preregister, call Parnell Bell at 919-878-5122.
Richland Creek, Raleigh, 9 a.m.-noon
Meet at the Loblolly Trail Head parking lot off Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh. For information, visit http://umsteadcoalition.org/streamwatch.htm.
Yates Mill Pond & Steep Hill Creek, Raleigh, 9 a.m.-noon
Meet at Historic Yates Mill County Park Visitor's Center, 4620 Lake Wheeler Road, Raleigh. To volunteer, contact Zone Captain Coley Houser at 919-856-6675 or john.houser@wakegov.com.
Falls Lake at Beaver Dam Lake, Raleigh, 9 a.m.
Meet at Beaver Dam Lake’s Old Weaver Road Access Point. A Big Sweep banner will be displayed.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Crabtree Creek, Raleigh, 1 p.m.
Meet just above the dam on Lassiter Falls Circle. Canoes, kayaks or johnboats are necessary to access the creek – please bring your own. To preregister, call Bill Garrabrant at 919-782-4474.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Perry Creek, Raleigh, 9 a.m.
Meet at the Durant Nature Park office, Camp Durant Road, Raleigh. To volunteer, contact Roger Truitt at 919-264-9173 or rtruitt@nc.rr.com.

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