Forty volunteers collected about a ton of litter and debris out of two branches of Richland Creek on Saturday as part of an annual cleanup.

The event, sponsored by the Middle Nolichucky Watershed Alliance, has been held at the same location for several years, noted Fred Kaufmann, president.

The effort is beginning to show. Despite the disappointingly high volume of trash plucked from the creek, Kaufmann said the cleanup seemed to go somewhat easier than in former years.

"The weather was just perfect, for one thing," he said.

Candy Adams, director of Keep Greene Beautiful, estimated that between 1,800 and 2,100 pounds of debris were placed in two large containers brought to the YMCA.

The cleanup covered the branch of Richland Creek that roughly parallels Bernard
Avenue, and the branch that originates at the Big Spring and roughly follows College and McKee streets to its confluence with the other branch.

Various Groups Participated

Several groups participated, wearing gloves provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Trout Unlimited won the prize for the best representation, with 11 members.
They each received T-shirts, and the club got a $10 Wal-Mart gift certificate.
Two other groups, U-Turn for Christ and the Greeneville Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, each had six members on hand.

Other groups that were represented included the U.S. Marine Corps League, Keep Greene Beautiful and the Greene County Fishing & Hunting Club.

Dick Muzzio, of the Marine Corps League, received individual honors for picking up a softball and an unopened can of beer.

However, U-Turn For Christ got credit for picking up the largest collection of "unique" items, including sheet metal, barrel hoops, various signs and a door.

Wesley Rash, a Junior ROTC member, was recognized for getting the dirtiest in the pursuit of a clean creek, while his brother, Fred Rash, received second-dirtiest honors.

Participants were fed doughnuts at the start of the cleanup and pizzas at the end, and numerous other individual door prizes were given.

Lunch was provided by the Watershed Alliance and Coca-Cola.