Cahaba cleanup

Trussville resident Jean Cox enjoys spending time outdoors with her family. On one of their hikes last year, she noticed lots of garbage in the woods on a trail they frequent and decided to do something about it. Cox organized and implemented the first Trussville Trail and Riverbank Cleanup, which took place Jan. 12. 

“When you see all this garbage in the woods right next to the Cahaba River and realize everything flows downhill and knowing it will eventually end up in the river,” she said, “… for me, that’s the most important part of having the event is to clean up the Cahaba. Cleaning the hillsides, ravines and stream beds will help keep garbage out of the river.”

Cox knew the cleanup needed to happen in the winter, when there is less underbrush to deal with and animals like snakes aren’t as active. When everything is green, you can’t see all the garbage underneath. To spread the word, she created an event page on Facebook and put up flyers and banners around the city. 

“I had never organized a community event before and had no idea how many people would come out,” said Cox. “We had a huge turnout, 62 people, way more than I expected.”

Several groups assisted in the cleanup, including members of the Hewitt-Trussville Key Club. Their teacher contacted Cox a week before the event and told her they would be coming, but it was harder work than most of their volunteer opportunities. Members of the Cahaba River Society were also on hand to help.

“I wasn’t expecting such hard work out of those kids, but they got a ton of work done and they did awesome,” she said. “They told me how much fun they had and some of them even stuck around after the main event was over to help unload the canoes.” 

Home Depot provided all the supplies for the event. Cox said she gave them a list and they covered it all, even sending out volunteers. The new store manager came out with his family and then returned on Monday to help remove large debris. Other local businesses donated gift certificates, which Cox wrapped in Christmas paper for the volunteers to find while they were working. 

“Most every business I went to ask for help was more than happy to donate,” she said. “Volunteers found gift cards for free pizza, free bread for a year and store gift cards. I had 17 prizes total and I think it added fun to the event.”

While the January cleanup covered the riverside grounds from the Senior Center to the tennis courts, it was still less than half of the area that needed to be cleaned. Afterwards, Cox said she received many messages asking if there would be another clean up, and she decided to make it an annual event. In the meantime, she plans to partner with other groups, including the Cahaba River Society, for more cleanups throughout the year.

“When the water levels rise in the summer, that is the ideal time to clean in the river,” she said. 

Since January’s event wasn’t able to clean up all the needed space, Cox said she is trying to assemble volunteers for another cleanup day, this time as part of the Big Cahaba Cleanup on June 8. Organized by the Cahaba River Society, it will start in Trussville and extend from Trussville to Helena. Cox said she wants her group of volunteers to start at Happy Hollow Road and clean up as much of the riverbank as possible within city limits.

“It’s a way for us to give back to the CRS,” Cox said. “They really came through and helped us out a lot and by doing this, we get to help them out.”

In addition to promoting and recruiting volunteers on the group’s Facebook page, Cox plans to reach out to some neighborhoods and homeowners associations in neighborhoods on the banks of the Cahaba River to get them involved and make a big impact.

“I’m hoping to pull some of the volunteers that came out [in January] to help support other events,” she said. “We are hoping to have a lot of people to pitch in and help on The Big Cahaba Cleanup and also will keeping people posted on other upcoming events.”

For more info about the Trail and Riverbank Cleanup Trussville, visit facebook.com/trussvilletrails.

“There will always be garbage to clean up, as the river brings in more, it’s a never ending process,” she said.