Great Gwinnett Wetlands Celebrates Its 9th Year on May 6

Atlanta GA

20 April, 2023

1:44 PM

Description

Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources Seek Volunteers to Support Annual Cleanup Event at Bethesda Park A joint initiative of Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful (GC&B) and Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources (DWR), Great Gwinnett Wetlands is designed to grow awareness and promote the ongoing stewardship of Gwinnett’s numerous wetlands. These “saturated lands” function as sponges – collecting and storing excess water to help prevent flooding in local streams, rivers, and lakes. In hopes of avoiding the deterioration of their longstanding viability due to littering and nonpoint source pollution, the two Gwinnett County organizations first launched the education and cleanup event in May 2015. Because the water stored within these vital elements of Gwinnett’s local ecosystems is often shared with water resources like the Chattahoochee River and the Yellow River, it’s critical to protect them. The 9th Annual Great Gwinnett Wetlands event will be hosted in the wetlands that border Lawrenceville’s Sweetwater Creek at Bethesda Park on Saturday, May 6. To ensure the event’s success, volunteers are being sought to help pick up litter, remove invasive plants and help educate community members surrounding this valuable resource. “Great Gwinnett Wetlands was a real passion project for my predecessor, Connie Wiggins,” said Schelly Marlatt, Executive Director of Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful. “She understood the important role wetlands play – including serving as a viable habitat for our precious local flora and fauna. Connie set the bar high during the first two years of Great Gwinnett Wetlands, and we’ve continued to carry that torch today. We plan to do so well into the future. During last year’s event, we had multiple litter cleanup teams, privet removal teams, storm drain marking teams, and one habitat assessment study team fan out across the area. Over the course of four hours, 138 people collected 122 bags of trash, 40 tires, one mattress, 100 yards of pipe, and so much more. We’re hoping for an even bigger turnout of volunteers this year so we can have a larger impact. Great Gwinnett Wetlands is an excellent service opportunity for high school green teams, church groups, civic organizations, neighborhoods, and individuals with a heart for the environment and our community. It’s important to note that much of the area where we’ll be working is wet and muddy, so we highly recommend our volunteers wear closed-toe shoes like hiking or rain boots and clothes they won’t mind getting dirty. They should also be sure to bring a snack and water bottle to stay hydrated.” Gwinnett County DWR Water Resources Outreach Manager John Butler added, “The event also commemorates Water Professionals Appreciation Day – recognizing the many water professionals that serve Gwinnett from both the public and private sectors. Every day, we produce more than 70 million gallons of water to be used by the residents and businesses of Gwinnett County. During Great Gwinnett Wetlands, teams from a number of environmental consulting firms will be represented and acknowledged.” Check-in for the 9th Annual Great Gwinnett Wetlands begins at 8:30 a.m. at Bethesda Park – located at 225 Bethesda Church Road in Lawrenceville. The event is expected to conclude at 1 p.m. Volunteers are asked to register at https://www.cervistech.com/acts/console.php?console_type=event_list&event_id=4312&console_id=0024&ht=1. Any questions leading up to the May 6 Great Gwinnett Wetlands cleanup event can be directed to GC&B Program Manager, Stephanie Marquardt at [email protected]. To learn more about Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and its mission of “Connecting People and Resources for a Sustainable Gwinnett,” please visit www.GwinnettCB.org. To stay connected to GC&B, Gwinnett County neighbors are invited to join the organization’s growing base of supporters on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.