BigSweep River Clean Up 2010

Thank-you to all the volunteers who got stinky, dirty, and wet, picking up trash in the high country’s waterways in 2009. It is amazing what a group of people can accomplish in a few hours working together!

Volunteers set an all time record in 2009 with pounds of trash collected. 172 volunteers covered the river from Foscoe down to Guy Ford Rd in Bethel. Over 6,000 pounds of trash was extracted from the Watauga river and its banks. Everything from lawn mowers, car parts, bed springs, kids toys, construction materials, and of course a large volume of beer bottles and cans. Volunteers harvested 15 tires, some with the rims and hubcaps still in tact. The Riverkeeper and ASU Geography Club set up a Z-line to pull one of the tires out!

Watauga River Clean Up 2010 - September 25th
Contact Wendy Patoprsty at 264-3061 or Wendy_Patoprsty@ncsu.edu to volunteer!


The Watauga River is our playground all year long, from swimming and tubing to fishing, lounging, birding, wading, photography, boating, and much more. It’s disappointing to see so much trash every year, but it is awesome to see the volunteers getting out there and cleaning up.

The Watauga County Cooperative Extension would like to thank all of 2009 Watauga River Clean Up Sponsors, Partners, and Volunteers; River and Earth Adventures, Appalachian Angler, Watauga River Anglers, Foscoe Fishing Company, Upper Watauga Riverkeeper, Watauga River Conservation Partners, High Country Waste Solutions, GDS, PACT, Footsloggers, EarthFare, Mast General Store, Watauga County Sanitation, MountainKeepers, Watauga County DOT, Valle Crucis Community Park, ASU Outdoor Programs, ASU Geography Club, ASU First Year Seminar Students, Teaching Fellows, The Outdoor Residential Learning Community, The ASU ACT program, and many many more community volunteers.