Folks,
Our rivers always seem to need cleaning up, but after the last rains and floods some of them are in pitiful condition. The weather next weekend is looking good. I encourage everyone in our paddling family to find a cleanup and help out next weekend. Read the entire announcement please, you will see there are clean ups in flat water up to class III so there should be something for everyone in our group. Pick your river, contact the organizer listed below, go paddle and clean up at the same time! Just one favor, when you answer yes on this site, please put in the remarks which cleanup you have chosen. Understand, you must contact the person listed below to take part in these cleanups.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PADDLE TO HELP, WE ALWAYS NEED SHORE BASED HELP!!

Thanks in advance for a great turnout!

John Miller
Organizer, Atlanta Area Paddlers

Clean ups Scheduled, help needed,

October 24th,

Chestatee Copper Mine Clean Up

Annual Rivers Alive event

One of the most beautiful sections of any river in GA, you start below the
Copper Mine (or above.. class III, your choice) and continue down 5 miles to
the 52 bridge. This has a few class II and it is well worth the journey. For more information and to meet up, please contact Elvin Hilyer at elvin3865@gmail. com.

Roswell Rivers Alive rescheduled event. 8am-10am at Riverside Park. All
participants MUST pre-register by contacting Janet Liberman
jliberman@roswellgo v.com. We will be cleaning in the Bull Sluice Lake area
behind Morgan Falls Dam. You can paddle from Willeo Rd or Azelea. This area
collected all the trash from Buford Dam down, be prepared to get wet and
very dirty.

Cleaning the river, just some tips and pointers. Dress for the event, you
will get wet and very dirty. Bring spare clothes to change especially on
the Hooch. Gloves really don't work in the river, but those claw pickers
work great. Put a section of floatie tube duck taped to the handle so it
will float if you drop it. Critters live on the side of the river, watch
for them and I suggest you move objects with your paddle or the pickers
before you use your hand. Have a knife, many objects will need to be cut
away or punctured to remove water. Don't pick up anything you might cause
you to get injured or capsize. A laundry basket bunged to your boat makes a
great trash holder for kayaks. Safety first, approach strainers from the
rear to get the trash.

If you can't help on the 24th, others are being scheduled, visit
www.riversalive. org <http://www.riversal... ive.org/> for clean ups in your
area. Thanks for helping care for the rivers!

MORE OPPORTUNITIES!!!

There will also be options on the 24th to participate in cleaning any
section of the Chestatee and Etowah Rivers in Lumpkin County.

This will be the fourth annual cleanup sponsored by the Lumpkin Coalition as
part of the Rivers Alive effort for clean and healthy rivers.

GCA members have been a supportive and integral of the attempt each year to
get to as many sections as possible of the 38 miles of these two rivers in
Lumpkin County.

Paddlers as well as persons interested only in land clean-up at access
points will be welcomed. Participants, land or river-based, will get a
Rivers Alive T-shirt.

Join us at 9:00 AM at our residence at Chuck Shoals on the Etowah River
(3865 Dawsonville Hwy., Dahlonega - directions below) for coffee, juice,
English muffins, and bagels. We will organize into teams that will be
river-based (for those who have boats and wish to paddle) and land-based
(for those who wish to help clean-up access points).
We will then shuttle to different sections of the Etowah and Chestatee
Rivers and access points, clean up, and return to 3865 for burgers (beef and
soy) and beverage.

If you are willing to be a coordinator for a particular section, let us
know. Hopefully we can constitute a group for any section that someone
wants to paddle.

Will be a beautiful environment for on-river and land crews, and a good day
whatever the water level - it is always possible for paddlers to get in a
few strokes.

Bring water and a lunch or snacks for mid-day, a change of clothing for a
dry after-cleanup, a warm pullover or paddling jacket in case of chill,
river shoes of some sort, and, of course, boat/paddle/pfd if you plan to
paddle. Gloves are recommended for land-crews, but not mandatory.

Has been much fun each previous year. Our rivers are getting cleaner and
cleaner with successive year clean-ups, but they may need special attention
this year with the recent increase in rain.

Let us know by return e-mail ([masked]) – but if you forget, and
wake up on the morning of the 24th wishing to participate, come on. There
will be plenty of "work" for everyone – on-river and/or
around-the-access-points.

Elvin

Elvin, Nancy, and Forest Hilyer
3865 Dawsonville Hwy.
Dahlonega GA 30533
[masked]

Elvin Cell [masked]
Nancy Cell [masked]
Forest Cell [masked]

DIRECTIONS:

[From all directions: When you get to "3865" park along road and walk down
driveway.]

From Atlanta: Up 400. At about mile 38 above 285 you come to North Georgia
Premium Outlet on left. Continue on 400 about 3.5 miles to third red light
(not counting the light at the Outlet Mall) – big signs for Highway 136 –
take left. Go 6 miles to stop sign at Highway 9 – take right. Go about 7
miles on Highway 9 and look out for sign on right side of road – "3865".
If you cross the Etowah River bridge, turn around and come back about one
tenth mile to second driveway on left.

From Dahlonega: Come out Highway 52 W and 9 S toward Dawsonville. Stay on
9 S when 52 splits off. At about mile 6 from the Dahlonega Town Square
cross the Etowah River bridge and look out for second driveway on left with
sign "3865."

From Dawsonville: Come about 9 miles on Highway 9 N toward Dahlonega and
look out on right for sign "3865."

From Ellijay: Turn right where 52 E intersects with 9. Go about 1.5
miles, cross the Etowah River, and look out on left for sign "3865."

Any questions, call one of us - numbers above.