The kickoff for the 5th Annual Rivers Alive cleanup, hosted by Tucker Civic Association, will be held Tuesday, June 19 at 7 p.m.
This year's event brings new partnerships with Friends of Tucker Parks and Trees Atlanta, and plans to plant 350 native hardwood tree saplings in and around Tucker's green space.
Two locations are among the top contenders for the project – the and at Johns Homestead. Suggestions of other locations and opinions of what to do are welcomed at the meeting.
“These two pieces of property,” said Parks and Greenspace committee co-chair Pam McNall, “before we got our hands on them, were barely used by the public and the county. They are two of the most gorgeous pieces of land in Tucker.”
Rivers Alive spent their time in previous years cleaning up creeks and lakes in Tucker. they have removed 22,200 pounds of garbage out, including over 80 tires and an absurd amount of roofing shingles. They have also removed seven pieces of furniture and eleven different appliances.
“We've done such a good job cleaning up South Fork Peachtree Creek that there is not a lot of garbage left,” said McNall.
Between 150-250 people have been involved in the effort in the past per year. Now, with the help of Trees Atlanta, their focus is on invasive plant removal and planting trees.
“We will be planting young trees at the Nature Preserve,” said Susan Pierce Cunningham, Trees Atlanta's coordinator for the NeighborWoods program. “We plant these little trees in areas that need forest restoration.”
English Ivy is an invasive plant prevalent in the Nature Preserve. Before any trees can be planted, those types of plants must be removed. Once that's done, native hardwoods can be planted that will grow quickly and deter other invasive plants.
The seedling program is a program specific to DeKalb County through the Nalley Tree Campaign.
McNall knows that the rebirth of these areas around the creeks and lakes will help improve the quality of these water sources giving them the oxygen level they need. They are overwhelmed with algae simply because there is no balance.
To join this year's Rivers Alive cleanup, make sure to attend the June 19th meeting. For more information and to get an address and directions to the meeting, which will be held at Pam McNall's home, email parks@tuckercivic.org.
