Shore Sweep 2013 was a tremendous success!
For the past 25 years, neighbors have gathered together for the purpose of removing the trash left along the almost 700-mile shoreline of Lake Lanier by less neighborly people who feel it is their right to leave trash along the shore of Lake Lanier.
What’s now called “Shore Sweep” averages about 1,000 volunteers annually. They gather and discard roughly 30 tons of trash every year.
If you multiply that 30 tons of garbage by the 25 years that 1,000 people have swept the shores for trash, you get … an amazing amount of stuff that’s been tossed into and then out of Lake Lanier, and nine people getting off a train in Albany.
Garbage bags were provided by the Lake Lanier Association. At some locations, they also let folks use those cool hand-operated gripper thingys to collect trash without having to crawl around on their hands and knees picking up trash that is almost as gross as a music video award TV show.
T-shirts were given to helpers, in exchange for one garbage bag filled with former lake junk.
The rowing venue at Clarks Bridge Road had more volunteers than they expected. By noon all they had left were a couple of kid-sized T-shirts … and a giant dumpster full of giant-sized pieces of trash that were floating in the lake … until Shore Sweep 2013.
Many organizations encouraged their members to pitch in and there are too many people involved to thank them all, but we are especially grateful to the lake’s marinas for allowing trash to be taken to their locations for removal.
Joanna Cloud, executive director of the Lake Lanier Association, wanted us to be sure to thank these marinas:
- Bald Ridge
- Habersham
- Lanier Harbor
- Holiday
- Aqualand
- Sunrise Cove
- Gainesville and
- Port Royale Marina.
My mother was right: “Many hands make light work.”
Thanks to one and all who took the trash out of Lake Lanier during Shore Sweep 2013.
If you would like more information on how you can help keep Lake Lanier full and clean, please contact the Lake Lanier Association.
