A driftboat-load of anglers floats the misty Clinch River below Norris Dam. (Photo by Frances Hamilton Oates)

NORRIS, TN -- Everyone who enjoys the river, from anglers to kayakers to wildlife watchers, is invited to help remove litter from the Clinch and its banks. The first-ever Big Clinch River Cleanup starts at 8 a.m. on Saturday, July 20, with a breakfast and briefing for all participants at the Museum of Appalachia, 2819 Andersonville Highway, Norris. The cleanup will wrap up about noon.

The community wide cleanup is an expansion of annual pickups run for many years by members of the Clinch River Chapter, Trout Unlimited. For this first year of the expanded event, volunteers will focus on the section between the Peach Orchard boat ramp and the River Road boat ramp (Miller’s Island).

To register -- and to qualify for the free full breakfast -- please visit www.crctu.org and click on Big Clinch River Cleanup Registration. For more information, contact Buzz Buffington at buzzflo@bellsouth.net or (865) 463-7167. In case of severe weather, the cleanup will be postponed until July 27.

Clinch River Chapter TU works to preserve and protect the Clinch River tailwater and its watershed through conservation projects and through education of children and adults in aquatic natural resources. Meetings are held the second Thursday of the month in the parish hall at St. Francis Episcopal Church, Norris, except when outdoor activities are scheduled.

Published June 26, 2013