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Date: April 11, 2008
Contact: Nancy Gray, 865-436-1208

RIVER CLEANUP IN GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS SPONSORED BY TROUT UNLIMITED
     Two local chapters of Trout Unlimited, a leading trout conservation organization, are sponsoring litter cleanup volunteer efforts with a complimentary lunch in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  They are scheduled on two Saturdays in April in the Tennessee and North Carolina areas of the Park. Volunteers are being recruited to join members of Trout Unlimited to help pick up litter on April 12 along the Little River in Tennessee with the Little River Chapter and on April 26 along the Oconaluftee River in North Carolina with the Tuskaseigee Chapter.
     Volunteers will work between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. collecting trash along the river banks and roadside.  Participants should bring leather working gloves and wear appropriate clothing and sturdy boots or shoes.  Trash bags and safety vests will be distributed along with gloves for those who do not bring their own.  Volunteers should check in at the following locations:
     April 12 –  Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Pavilion, located along Little River Road, between the Sugarlands Visitor Center and the Park’s Townsend entrance.  Volunteers will be directed to pick up trash and debris between the Townsend entrance and Elkmont.
     April 26 – Oconaluftee Visitor Center lower parking area, along Newfound Gap Road, 2 miles north of Cherokee.  Volunteers will be directed to pick up trash and debris between the Park boundary and the Oconaluftee Overlook. 
     Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson, said that, “The Trout Unlimited chapters in both states have been long supporters of the Park’s fishery management program, donating both money and much-needed labor to conduct hands-on research and stream improvement projects in the Park.  Their support has been very instrumental and continues to help the Park manage over 730 miles of fish-bearing streams and another 1,300 miles of tributaries spread over its 800 square mile area.”  He continued, “The litter cleanup operation is another example of their dedication to protecting these great water resources and enhancing the public’s recreational opportunities.”