Statewide cleanup to begin Saturday
The Great Arkansas Cleanup to help beautify the Arkansas River and other parts of the Natural State will start Saturday.
Keep Arkansas Beautiful hosts the Great Arkansas Cleanup each fall as a statewide community improvement campaign, according to its website. More information about volunteering or cleanups can be found on the group's website: keeparkansasbeautiful.com/get-involved/great_arkansas_cleanup/. The event -- which has been recurring for more than 40 years -- is coordinated with the aid of several state and local governments, municipal chapters of Keep America Beautiful and other groups.
The two-month event will be held in various locations across Arkansas, including Greers Ferry Lake, the Little Red River and Columbia County roads Saturday. Arkansas state parks also are hosting cleanups.
Events continue through Oct. 31 in Sebastian County, at DeGray Lake, Lake Ouachita State Park and the town of Avoca, among other places.
In central Arkansas, the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality will host a cleanup of the Arkansas River from 8:15 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
People interested in volunteering should report to Cook's Landing at the Big Dam Bridge by 8 a.m. for the cleanup, according to a news release from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.
More than 7,000 volunteers at 144 events across Arkansas collected 210,582 pounds of litter last year, according to Keep Arkansas Beautiful. The cleanups covered 541 miles of roads, 1,194 miles of waterways and 16,251 acres of parks and public areas.
Volunteer at lake wins Corps award
An Arkansas man has been awarded the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' 2016 National Volunteer Award.
Bill Barnes of Mount Ida received the award during the Ouachita River Valley Association Conference in Hot Springs at the end of August.
Barnes logged more than 500 hours of volunteer time in 2016 at Lake Ouachita, according to a news release from the Corps.
Barnes owns Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa and has volunteered at Lake Ouachita for 25 years, according to the release. In those years, he has led special events such as fireworks displays, parades and the Veterans Relax and Relate Festival.
Barnes also has served as a member of the Joplin Volunteer Fire Department in Mount Ida for 37 years and has responded to emergencies at the lake, the Corps said.
Lake Ouachita State Park manager Stacy Sigman nominated Barnes for the award.
Metro on 09/03/2017