from the Calhoun Times

 08/01/05

Two local environmentalists have embarked on a 150-mile canoe trip down the Conasauga, Oostanaula and Coosa Rivers.

Clayton Jones, executive director of the New Echota Rivers Alliance, and Russell McClanahan, a long-time environmental advocate and outdoor enthusiast, began their journey Monday in Tennessee.

They expect to reach Calhoun Wednesday evening, Jones said.

McClanahan made the same journey nearly 20 years ago and was greatly saddened by the abundance of fish kills and polluted water.

Motivated to discover if the general health of the river basin has improved, Jones and McClanahan will document their discoveries and provide for the community an accurate portrait of the state of the Coosa River Basin.

They begin their journey today near Tennga at the Tennessee-Georgia state line.

Monday evening, they will camp near Chatsworth at James Turner’s land near Mitchell Bridge on the Conasauga.

“The Conasauga is a long, winding river, so Tuesday’s checkpoint is unknown,” Jones said.

On Wednesday, August 2nd at 6pm, Jones and McClanahan will arrive in Calhoun at the boat ramp on Ga. 225 across from the New Echota State Historic Site for a potluck picnic. NERA members are encouraged to attend. If all goes well, they will camp at Morris and Molly Jenkins’ land on the Oostanaula.

On Thursday, August 3rd, the duo will arrive in Rome, stopping at Heritage Park downtown sometime between 4 and 6 pm.

Friday begins the Coosa. The canoers will arrive at Brushy Branch on the Alabama and Georgia state line sometime Saturday afternoon.

Updates will be available by contacting the offices of the New Echota River Alliance at 770-548-0263, or by calling David Harrison @ 706-602-2651.

NERA’s mission is to empower citizens so that they may become stewards of their watersheds in the process of creating a cleaner, healthier, economically viable Coosa River Basin. NERA is a chapter of the Coosa River Basin Initiative.