The Environmental Journal of Southern Appalachia

Displaying items by tag: keep blount beautiful

Tuesday, 05 November 2024 11:42

Lace ‘em up and run a 5k for Little River

LRR5K

TOWNSEND  Join Keep Blount Beautiful and Little River Watershed Association for the 6th Annual Little River Run 5K on Nov. 16 at the Townsend Abbey, 7765 River Road in Townsend.

The Little River Run 5K brings together hundreds of people each year to celebrate the beauty of Blount County and promote environmental sustainability. All proceeds from the event benefit KBB and LRWA’s many free programs, events, and initiatives that focus on environmental education and conservation.

Help make this year the biggest yet! Here’s where to learn more, register, and/or sign up to volunteer.

Published in Event Archive
Thursday, 02 November 2023 04:17

Little River Run 5K November 18, 2023

Little River Run 5K - Townsend Tennessee logo 

Join Keep Blount Beautiful (KBB) and Little River Watershed Association (LRWA) for a run (or walk!) by the Little River in view of the Great Smoky Mountains for the 5th Annual Little River Run 5K at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18 at the Townsend Abbey. This race is a great way to support a clean, green and beautiful Blount County. The Little River Run encourages participants to engage with their community, enjoy the beauty of Blount County and help spread the message of environmental stewardship. All proceeds will support the many free events, programs and educational initiatives including litter pickups, stream cleanups, invasive removals, recycling events and educational programs.

In-person and virtual options for the race: This will be a chip-timed event. Participants of all ages are welcome. Race tickets will be $30 beginning, Sept. 5. Race registration increases to $35 starting Nov. 13. Children 12 and under can register for a rate of $15 at any time. Registration will also be available on race day. Virtual race runners are not chip-timed and are at a flat rate of $30.

Published in Event Archive

Clean Up PileVolunteers who helped with the Save our Smokies cleanup on April 23 are shown here among their booty. Anna Lawrence/Hellbender Press

Amid the booze bottles and toilet paper, it’s ‘incredible what we found here’

Cleanup crews cleared garbage Earth Day weekend across Great Smoky Mountains National Park from mountain crests to the shores of Fontana Lake.

Save Our Smokies, which organized the April 23 event, called it the largest single cleanup ever attempted in the park. Volunteers wrangled some 5,000 pounds of garbage.

Save our Smokies Vice President Benny Braden said the organization removed 10,133 pounds of trash in all of 2021.

“Litter is a big problem. We can clean up a location and two months later we have to be back there because it’s worse than when we started,” Braden said in an interview Saturday morning at the Tremont section of the national park. “What gives us hope is our volunteers showing up,” he said, citing their tireless dedication.

Published in News