Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) has been awarded a $10,000 grant from Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's Outdoor Fund.
“We’re pleased to partner with Bass Pro Shops on this project,” said Meaghan Walsh Gerard, communications and administrative director for ORK.
“You can see the waterways we are restoring from the front doors of the store – it doesn’t get any more local," Walsh continued.
The grant will fund ORK’s on-going Protect the Vernon project.
The project's goal is to reduce pollution to the point that it can be de-listed by the Georgia EPD as ‘impaired.’
The project has gathered a total of 1293 lbs of trash from the creeks and canals leading to the Vernon.
Styrofoam is the most common litter in litter booms. On average, 292 pieces are collected each clean up.
There are a total of 61 unique bacterial sampling sites within the Vernon River watershed. ORK volunteers are monitoring these sites through the Adopt-A-Stream program.
ORK has also engaged 420 students at two different schools. Both high school and fifth grade students have engaged in onsite water quality education programming.
The grant from the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Fund will help ORK continue and expand these efforts.
About Bass Pro Fund: Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's Outdoor Fund is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charity.
About Ogeechee Riverkeeper: Ogeechee Riverkeeper 501(c)(3) works to protect, preserve, and improve the water quality of the Ogeechee River basin. This includes all of the streams flowing out to Ossabaw Sound and St. Catherine’s Sound.
The Canoochee River is about 108 miles long and the Ogeechee River itself is approximately 245 miles long. For more information, visit: ogeecheeriverkeeper.org.
