Volunteer with Us to Cleanup Lookout and Black Creek!

We are leading a volunteer-driven cleanup of Lookout Creek in partnership with our colleagues at the Tennessee River Rescue and we need your support! Lookout Creek runs along our 300-acre campus, which makes it a great spot to engage our volunteer force in some hands-on conservation work. This year, we are excited to work with our friends in Black Creek neighborhood to expand our clean up efforts and include Black Creek tributaries to make an even bigger impact. Support from Chattanooga Downtown Rotary and Tennessee American Water has helped make this cleanup effort a reality. Sign up to volunteer here now!

Volunteers interested in getting on the water for hands-on creek cleanup are encouraged to bring their own kayak, canoe or paddle board for self use or to share. Those interested in staying on land will be directed to designated cleanup areas along stream banks and seasonal watersheds. 

For over 30 years, volunteers have banded together on land and water in an effort to clear plastic and other pollutants from our vital watershed. Our team plans, organizes and partners with community volunteers to clear trash, debris and obstacles from the Creek so it can be a clean, safe part of our watershed, where the community can recreate and be drawn closer to our local water resources.

 Lookout Creek runs through our 300-acre campus, which affords easy access for staff and community volunteers. Black Creek empties into Lookout Creek along our property. These are areas that desperately need attention, and historically, have rarely received it. 

This project provides a hands-on, community-based volunteer experience for local citizens, building an interest for improving, restoring and protecting our watershed and freshwater resources. These kinds of projects are important to increase public understanding and awareness of our fragile freshwater resources.

Did you know that the Tennessee River is among the nation’s most microplastic polluted waterways? Microplastics are defined as tiny pieces of various types of plastic less than 5 millimeters long. A 2019 study found nearly 18,000 microplastic particles per cubic meter of water in the Tennessee River. According to the study led by Dr. Andreas Fath and Dr. Martin Knoll, 84% of microplastics found were made of polyethylene- a plastic commonly used in the production of plastic bags. Another 16.8% was found to be polypropylene, which is used to make various types of plastic packaging. 

Last year’s creek cleanup efforts resulted in a dumpster full of pollutants that otherwise would have remained lurking beneath the surface. While the majority of pollutants removed consist of various plastics, it isn’t uncommon to find some surprising items that have been improperly discarded into our waterways. Last year’s creek cleanup volunteers and staff  uncovered a shopping cart, a Radio Flyer wagon, a six foot long speaker cover, ten golf balls, two basketballs, and a living room’s worth of carpet. 

This yearly cleanup event has a huge, positive impact on our local ecology and the Chattanooga community. Clean waterways support the diverse, intricate ecosystems that our native plants and animals require to survive- including us! Lookout and Black Creek, as a part of the Tennessee River watershed, provides clean drinking water to the Chattanooga area and restoring it makes the water cleaner at the source. By cleaning up creeks and seasonal waterways, we hope to curb the introduction of additional microplastics and other pollutants into the waterways all of us earthlings rely on to thrive.