Volunteers needed

Lake Fontana needs help cleaning up the shoreline trash. Led by Brandon Jones, Harbor Master at the Fontana Village Marina, this event is one of the most extensive cleanups on national park lands.

Jones won the 2023 Governor’s Conservation Achievement Award as the Public Lands Conservationist of the Year for his efforts. He has launched successful cleanup efforts for Lake Fontana in western North Carolina, where volunteers, park rangers and community members have come together for the last five years to remove more than 200,000 pounds of garbage from the lake and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park shoreline. 

Through partnerships with organizations like the North Carolina Wildlife Federation and Mainspring Conservation Trust, the initiative has made a significant impact and inspired others to take ownership of the cleanup, making it the most extensive cleanup on national park lands.