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Volunteer
Be a part of protecting the watershed
The Chattooga River watershed encompasses 180,000 acres in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. With ample national forest land, tons of recreational opportunities, and a growing number of visitors and residents each year, the need to take proactive measures to protect our native ecosystems is increasingly important. Get involved in one of our upcoming events, or sign up to receive email alerts about future opportunities!

Current Volunteer Opportunities

SC SWEEP - CHAUGA LITTER CLEANUP

SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2026
                  • Event: SC Sweep
                  • Date: Saturday, March 28th, 2026
                  • Location: Cassidy Bridge parking area, Cassidy Bridge Rd, Mountain Rest, SC 29664 (34.787947, -83.210878)
                  • Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm

Join the Chattooga Conservancy on Saturday, March 28th, 2026, for a litter cleanup volunteer event in the Chauga River watershed. This event will be part of PalmettoPride’s SC Sweep statewide cleanup effort. We will meet at Cassidy Bridge parking area to sign in and distribute cleanup tools/ protective equipment. Chattooga Conservancy staff will lead volunteers in small groups, removing litter from the parking area and upstream/downstream along the Chauga River. This is a great opportunity to participate in public lands stewardship and contribute to cleaner shared spaces in the Chattooga’s sister watershed – the Chauga!

Other Details:

  • All are welcome! Minors must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.                                                                                                  In partnership with: 
  • We recommend closed-toed shoes and sun protective layers
  • We will have a water cooler, but bring a personal water bottle to refill!
  • No “sign up” needed; just show up, and you are under no obligation to stay the whole time!

Email jasmine@chattoogariver.org with any questions.

STEKOA CREEK PARK - RECURRING EVENT

SECOND SATURDAY OF THE MONTH
                  • Event: Stekoa Creek Park Workday
                  • Date: Second Saturday of the month, most months
                  • Location: Stekoa Creek Park in Clayton, GA (Parking at: Georgia Mountain Market, 811 US-441, Clayton, GA 30525)
                  • Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm (or as long as anyone wants to stay)

 

This recurring event is a great opportunity to connect with the community, support our mission, and make a real impact. We are working alongside the Headwaters Master Gardeners to pick up trash, remove invasive species (privet, ivy, multiflora rose), and plant some new trees and shrubs! Whether you’ve volunteered before or this would be your first time, we welcome you to be part of it.

Other Details: 

  • Scheduling announcements (or cancellations) for this recurring event are emailed to Chattooga Conservancy Volunteer Alert subscribers.
  • Bring gloves, and tools if you have them!  Shovels, rakes, and clippers are ideal.
  • We will have a water cooler, but bring a personal water bottle to refill!
  • Park in the “Georgia Mountain Market” parking lot and meet in the picnic area.
  • No “sign up” needed, just show up! (& you are under no obligation to stay the whole time)

Email jasmine@chattoogariver.org with any questions.

Can’t make any of these events? Sign up for volunteer alerts to be notified about future opportunities!

Past Volunteer Events

STEKOA CREEK PARK

Saturday, March 14, 2026
                  • Event: Stekoa Creek Park Workday
                  • Date: Saturday, March 14th, 2026
                  • Location: Stekoa Creek Park in Clayton, GA (Parking at: Georgia Mountain Market, 811 US-441, Clayton, GA 30525)
                  • Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm

 

STEKOA CREEK PARK - SCOUT EVENT

Saturday, February 28, 2026
                  • Event: Stekoa Creek Park Workday
                  • Date: Saturday, February 28th, 2026
                  • Location: Stekoa Creek Park in Clayton, GA (Parking at: Georgia Mountain Market, 811 US-441, Clayton, GA 30525)
                  • Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm

Walhalla Scout Troop 45 collaborated with the Chattooga Conservancy to restore a section of trail at the southern end of Stekoa Creek Park. Scouts and scout leaders helped shape several new trail steps from rot-resistant locust wood previously felled at the park. The Scouts hewed and processed the locust wood steps themselves using traditional hand tools such as foot and bowl adzes and brace-and-bit hand drills. Troop 45 then installed the new steps and helped root out invasive species along the trail.

STEKOA CREEK PARK

Saturday, FeBruary 14, 2026
                  • Event: Stekoa Creek Park Workday
                  • Date: Saturday, February 14th, 2026
                  • Location: Stekoa Creek Park in Clayton, GA (Parking at: Georgia Mountain Market, 811 US-441, Clayton, GA 30525)
                  • Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm

Volunteers from Master Gardeners, Clayton Rotary Club, and Chattooga Conservancy joined to plant six native trees (Redbud, Dogwood, and Sugar Maple) along an area of the park’s upper embankments bordering Highway 441. The Master Gardeners continue to lead the ongoing work of cleaning up the park’s understory; volunteers helped in this effort by picking up litter and removing invasives.

 

REPORT AN ISSUE IN THE WATERSHED
Have you seen an issue in or around the Chattooga Wild and Scenic corridor that you would like to report? We are doing our best to track these issues and organize volunteers to address them. Please let us know in the form below (or by emailing info@chattoogariver.org ) if you have seen non-native invasive species presence, significant trash accumulation, or other problems impacting the watershed.

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