Every so often an email appears in my box that makes me smile from ear to ear. One of those magical email senders is Katie Gray, from Lake James State Park. Katie has so much enthusiasm and love for her park, and I love that she shares stories from Lake James with me regularly. It makes me feel like I’m there, even when I live several hours away.
Katie recently sent me an email about the recent yearly park clean up that was so successful! Read below and visit Lake James if you get a chance (it’s gorgeous!), but most of all, please heed Katie’s advice: the next time you’re in your local park, pick up a piece of trash before it washes into a nearby waterway. You can make a difference everyday.
Shared by Katie Gray, Lake James State Park
The Lake James Clean Up happens yearly the 2nd Saturday in March. This event is put on by Howard Morgan and the Community of Lake James, and the Lake James Area Wildlife and Nature Society. If we want our public lands to be enjoyed for generations to come, we all have to help keep them clean. One of the easiest ways to keep our outdoor spaces beautiful and our ecosystems healthy is simply by picking up trash (always ask a parent first!). Even picking up one small piece of plastic means there is one less item that could make its way into our waterways.
Rangers and community members work year-round to remove litter and protect the natural beauty of Lake James. But on March 14, 2026, the community truly showed up! Adults, teens, and children spent the day both on and off the water collecting trash. Together, volunteers removed more than 1.8 tons of debris from the area. Trash was cleared from roadsides around the lake, shorelines where pieces of docks had washed up from Hurricane Helene, and from hiking trails throughout the park. It was an incredible effort that makes a real difference every single year.
My challenge to you is simple: the next time you visit a park, promise to safely pick up at least one piece of trash. Small actions from many people can make a huge difference for our parks and for our planet.
