Co-written/produced with Mary McCay
The 35th annual Tuck River Cleanup kicked off at WCU on Saturday, April 13.
Student rafter at the 2019 Tuck River Clean Up. Photo by Mary McCay.
Hundreds of students and people from around Jackson County joined together to clean up the Tuckasegee River in one of the largest single-day river cleanups in the nation. About 600 participants were bused over to Lena Davis Landing in Cullowhee, where they set off into the river on rafts. The route takes rafters 20 miles down the Tuck from Cullowhee to Whittier, N.C.
Groups of no more than 30 participants who were unable to or preferred not to raft were taken to the Greenway on Old Cullowhee Road, where they walked along the shore and picked up trash.
“I thought it’d be a good opportunity to, honestly, hang out with friends and do something good for the environment,” WCU sophomore, Katie Cannon, said.
Another participant, WCU freshman Zhane Strachan, said: “I figured I might as well use my time wisely.”
A number of students come back each year to participate in the event.
“I did the walking cleanup spontaneously last year and just had so much fun that it became one of my favorite days of the year. Plus it feels good knowing that I am doing something good to better the environment,” said WCU senior Casey Jowers.
Click below to see pictures and quotes of the Tuck River Clean Up.
