by Sean Weinstock
On Saturday, September 14th, over 800 volunteers in over 60 boats across four counties gathered at the New River to participate in the annual RenewTheNew cleanup event designed to improve conditions in the New River.
Why it matters: “The river is a special resource for this whole valley and cleaning it up, keeping it fresh for tourism, for fish and recreational use is really important.” said Brad Buchanan, RenewTheNew Montgomery County Organizer.
- Organized by Giles County the annual effort includes four locations in Giles, Montgomery and Pulaski Counties, and the City of Radford. Additionally, this year the event included cleanup efforts in West Virginia and parts of North Carolina.
- Locally, over 100 volunteers, many Virginia Tech students, gathered at Whitethorne Boat Ramp in Blacksburg. “We found out about this through one of their flyers and thought it would be a great opportunity to serve the broader community in Blacksburg”, said Justin Ward, Virginia Tech student.
- The event provided volunteers with a ‘Fall Into the New’ t-shirt, work gloves, trash bags and water craft to pick up trash and debris scattered across the designated cleanup area.
- With a focus on the river itself rather than just the shoreline, the bulk of the effort involved students in boats hand collecting trash and filling trash bags. Removing tires was also an important part of the effort.
- Volunteers wore shorts, cargo pants, boots, and aquatic shoes. The cleanup fleet included kayaks, canoes, and a few small bass boats. The event in Montgomery County lasted from 9a.m to 12p.m and lunch was provided to volunteers at the end of the session.
- “This was my first time going to a New River cleanup and I thought it would be a good way to get in some volunteer hours since I want to join Americore or the Peace Corp when I graduate”, said Thomas Oudekerk, Virginia Tech student.
Flashback: RenewTheNew started on July 21st, 2001, in Giles County with more than 600 volunteers and over 20,000 pounds of trash collected during the inaugural event. This event officially started Giles Counties annual after summer cleanup.
- The first group was made up of river guides, river luggers and Giles County community members.
- After a few years the river cleanup expanded to Montgomery, Floyd, and Pulaski counties and the City of Radford.
- Participation was also expanded and opened to all members of the New River Valley community.
Context: The New River has been an important part of the New River Valley community for generations and has become a major tourist attraction for the region contributing nearly $36 million to Giles County in visitor spending in 2023.
- A key attraction is the New River Water trail, a 37-mile protected stretch of river that includes the towering Palisades Cliffs. Below the cliffs, the New River reaches a depth of over 100 feet.
Rare Treasure: Considered to be the oldest river in North America, the New River is part of the Ohio River watershed running 320 miles across North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
- The river is home to a variety of wildlife including large and smallmouth bass, walleye, muskellunge, crappie, bluegill, carp, and channel catfish.
- In addition to its remarkable age, the New River is one of the few rivers in the Northern Hemisphere that flows from South to North.
What’s Next: The ReNewTheNew initiative continues its efforts to keep the New River clean all year around.
- Other initiatives include increasing enforcement of littering violations, erecting boat ramp kiosks for use by park officials to provide better information and resources to visitors, installation of trash pickup bag dispensers.
- Improved coordination and cooperation with the Giles County Sheriff’s department has reduced vandalism along the river and in park areas.
ReNewTheNew is all about protecting the New River as a valuable asset and ensuring that it remains a vibrant part of the community.
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