Nolichucky River Cleanups
Appalachian Paddling Enthusiasts (APEs) has been scheduling annual cleanups on The Nolichucky River in and around Erwin, TN since 1987. Most of these efforts are on the section between USA Raft and “Big Rock.” We also have worked with other groups on cleanups in The Nolichucky Gorge and on the North Toe River in North Carolina, which feeds into The Nolichucky.
In 2023, our conservation team of James Burleson and Deana Gates brought together approximately 75 volunteers who removed more than 65 tires and hundreds of bags of trash. We received sponsorship support from companies including Blue Ridge Paddling, Piranha Kayak, Jackson Kayak and USA Raft & Resort.
In 2023, APEs also helped to reopen abandoned Nolichucky River access on Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) property at Corby Bridge in Washington County, TN. We assisted in repairing the driveway so vehicles other than high-clearance four-wheel drive trucks and jeeps could access the parking area. APEs provide $640.00 and raised $360.00 in private donations for rock. Volunteers spent 30 hours spreading rock, clearing the site, and picking up litter. Since reopening the landing, David Crockett Birthplace State Park started a kayaking program that offers people the chance to travel a 1.8-mile class 1+ section of the river with four small rapids. The three-hour guided tour discusses the history of David Crockett and the geology, plants and animal life along the Nolichucky.
In 2021, APEs partnered with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Keep Greene Beautiful, the Greene County Sheriff Department litter crew and Greene County Mayor Kevin Morrison to perform a cleanup below Crockett Dam following high-water events in 2020 that deposited large amounts of trash and debris in the area. Thirty volunteers picked up more than 80 bags of trash.
Billie Mullins during the 2023 Nolichucky River cleanup. Photo: Karissa Miller.
Volunteers at the Crockett Dam cleanup in 2021. Photo by Jeremy Gass.