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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

OCONEE SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT CHATTOOGA SECTION 2 CLEANUP

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026
                  • Event: Litter Cleanup
                  • Date: Friday, October 2, 2026
                  • Location: Long Bottom Ford Campground, on Low Water Bridge Rd
                  • Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm (approx.)

Oconee Soil and Water Conservation District (O SWCD) and SC Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) are coordinating a litter cleanup along Section 2 of the Chattooga River. They are meeting at the Long Bottom Ford Campground on Low Water Bridge Road, and plan to pick up trash at the campground and nearby areas. This is not a Chattooga Conservancy event, but we encourage you to attend! Oconee SWCD states that volunteers are welcome, and trash bags as well as snacks and water will be provided. See event on their website: Annual River Sweep/Beach Sweep — Oconee Soil and Water.

STEKOA CREEK PARK WORKDAY

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9th, 2026
                  • Event: Stekoa Creek Park Workday
                  • Date: Friday, October 9th, 2026
                  • Location: Stekoa Creek Park in Clayton, GA (Parking at: Georgia Mountain Market, 811 US-441, Clayton, GA 30525)
                  • Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm

Stekoa Creek Park workday events are 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: 

  • 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 isabel@chattoogariver.org with any questions.

CHAUGA WATERSHED CLEANUP

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2026
                  • Event: Chauga Watershed Litter Cleanup 
                  • Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026
                  • Location: Meet at Long Creek Community Center/ Volunteer Fire Department Parking Lot at 9am.
                  • Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm

Join us for a litter cleanup event at road access points on the Chauga River in early October! Trash bags, snacks, and water provided. Volunteers will also receive a free 2026 litter cleanup T-shirt! Event sponsored in part by PalmettoPride. Site selection will depend on the expected number of volunteers, so sign up if you are interested in participating!

 

Other Details: 

  • Meet at the Long Creek Fire Station at 9am.
  • Come prepared to drive a short distance. You will be assigned a trash pick-up location and given supplies. Small carpool groups welcome!
  • Gloves are provided, but feel free to bring your own if you prefer.
  • We will have a water cooler, but bring a personal water bottle to refill!
  • Sign up encouraged.
Click here to sign up!!

 

 

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

Past Volunteer Events

EARTH DAY CHATTOOGA LITTER CLEANUP

APrIL 20-25, 2026

Litter cleanup volunteer event along the Chattooga River corridor, where participating groups from the Chattooga Whitewater Shop, Mountain Sprouts Learning, the U.S. Forest Service, Clemson Whitewater Club, Chattooga Conservancy, Southeastern Expeditions, Wildwater, and Nantahala Outdoor Center removed litter from designated river sections. In total, the event covered 30 river miles, from the Warwoman Road bridge on the West Fork, down to Lake Tugalo. A special thank you to Life In Long Creek for hosting the celebration community supper at Humble Pie. The cleanup event was sponsored in part by a Litter Prevention Grant from  PalmettoPride.

 

 

 

 

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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