BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Feb. 23, 2009 - Renew Our Rivers kicks off this year with the Lake Eufaula cleanup Monday, March 2, through Saturday, March 7. Volunteers with or without boats can meet Saturday at 8 a.m. at the U.S. Coast Guard station. The cleanup will be followed by a picnic lunch.

This Renew Our Rivers cleanup is coordinated by the U.S. Coast Guard U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and local groups including the Boy Scouts; Eufaula High School’s Junior R.O.T.C.; Clayton Soil and Water Conservation District; and other civic organizations. Cleanups have been held annually since 2006. Last year, more than 100 volunteers collected more than 2.5 tons of trash from Lake Eufaula.

Overview: Volunteers for Renew Our Rivers, the Southeast’s largest river cleanup,
have collected nearly 10 million pounds of trash and debris from Alabama and Southeast rivers since its 2000 inception. Twenty three cleanups are planned through October. Cleanups are held on the Cahaba, Coosa, Tallapoosa, Black Warrior and Mobile rivers in Alabama.

Directions: Directions to U.S. Coast Guard station
Turn off U.S. Highway 431 onto Chewalla Drive. Station is on the right.

Contact: Michelle McAndrews 334-616-4452 or Bethany Claxton at 334-616-4232.

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Media Contact: Keisa Sharpe, (205) 257-4155, ksharpe@southernco.com