Volunteers restoring beauty at Blewett Falls Lake

LILESVILLE — Shotgun shells, tires, a large wood duck box and every drink can imaginable were a few of the items that were collected at the Third Annual Blewett Falls Clean-Up.

The Richmond County chapter of the Three Rivers Land Trust brought together volunteers to help clear debris from Blewett Falls Lake.

“This has probably been our most successful continuous river clean up that we’ve had,” said Michael “Mikey” Fulk, associate director of TRLT. “We just want to give back to the community as much as we can and this will always be on our calendar.”

The participants combed the shoreline from a pontoon boat, with Janet Weyant at the helm, stopping at problem areas along the Richmond County side of the Pee Dee River. They split up into smaller boats to cover more ground.

Weyant said it’s rewarding to make the area look nicer, and it’s great to see the generations of families who come out to assist.

Kayaks were provided to pick up trash and return it to the boat landing. About 20 participants were armed with trash bags and grabbers to scour the shoreline.

Duke Energy provided a dumpster to hold all of the junk they collected.

“It’s great to be taking care of the land we live in to play safer and have fun,” said Mari Bennett. “There’s always more [trash], but it’s nice to get anything out of the water. Being outdoors, lifting, pulling, helping load stuff — that’s where I thrive.”

TRLT operates in 15 counties and works with property owners to preserve land and the essential nature of the region.

Volunteer Sue Lowery moved back to Richmond County after being away for about 10 years. She said she grew up vacationing here and has fond memories of waterskiing and boating.

“I just wanted to give back,” said Lowery, accompanied by her grandniece and her cousin, Sophia and Neveah. “If you’re going to enjoy it, somebody has to take part in cleaning it up, because some people don’t.”

This year’s event was dedicated to the memory of Thomas Outen, who had participated in this event before and passed away unexpectedly this March.

Outen had used his utility terrain vehicle (UTV) to transport trash and shuttle people to different stops. He was also involved with organizing the first event.

His son, Brandon Outen, along with his girlfriend, Catie Hubbard, accumulated about 10 full, 42-gallon bags of trash and junk for the day. He estimated it was about 350 to 400 pounds.

“Growing up we did some camping at the lakeshore,” Outen said. “We noticed that there was a lot of trash and we always picked it up. That’s the last dam — the last line of defense — before that trash goes to the ocean.”

Brandon, who works for the North Carolina Forest Service, said he’s going to make more of an effort next year to recruit more individuals to participate and “doubling” their effort.

“It’s events like these that bring the community together,” Fulk said. “You really get to see the good in people. I don’t care who you are or what you do — it’s the land that unites everybody.”