Satilla Riverkeeper Annual Clean-Up, 2024 Edition

Reflecting on all of the clean-ups I’ve done over the years, I have had my fair share of interesting experiences, but this clean-up takes the cake. While we didn’t find any tires, refrigerators, or recliners, we did witness the release of none other than a live raccoon.

Let’s start from the beginning. Every year, the Satilla Riverkeeper holds an event where site-leaders work with volunteers to clean-up various boat ramps along the Satilla River. With many years of involvement under my belt, I led the clean-up at my favorite site, Jamestown Landing. I was really excited, because this marks my 5th time as a site leader and 69th clean-up over all of my years of conservation work. Little did I know, it was about to be an especially memorable one. 

When we arrived, we found the boat ramp bustling with activity. We were thrilled to see so many people show up for the clean-up. That excitement was short-lived, because we soon realized that it had nothing to do with the event. Instead, the large number of trucks belonged to a construction crew working down the road. Not only were we disappointed, but all the noise drove away any chance of a peaceful morning. Still, I, along with my mom and sister, got to work picking up trash as the construction workers watched.

Soon after, a lady pulled up in a pick-up truck with an animal locked inside a cage. We couldn’t believe our eyes. She had an angry hissing raccoon – and she was about to release it in front of us as we were doing the trash clean-up! Racoons can carry disease and cause damage to people’s property, so they can be trapped and released with a permit in Georgia. However, releasing it at a boat ramp with so many people made us very uneasy. Thankfully, the raccoon quickly scurried away into the woods and out of sight. With that “fun” aside, we continued on with our clean-up. The construction workers eventually moved on, and with the Satilla Riverkeeper Shannon Gregory and her husband joining us, we successfully cleaned up the rest of the boat ramp area. 

It was just in time, too!

Not even a week later, Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc across our local area. While we did not experience much flooding, the intense gusts of wind could have easily blown trash directly in the river. By cleaning up the boat ramp ahead of time, we prevented this trash from impacting wildlife, maybe even protecting that raccoon in its new forest home.