ASHLAND CITY, Tenn. (Sept. 28, 2020) – Cub Scouts and parents from Pack 503 volunteered to spruce up Cheatham Lake Sept. 19 in support of National Public Lands Day.
Park Rangers Amber Jones and Samantha Bedard welcomed the young volunteers, provided safety information and instructions before helping with several much-needed projects.
“This year we limited the number of volunteers for the annual event due to current Covid-19 restrictions. When social distancing practices were not practical, masks were kept on,” said Jones.
The Cub Scouts broke up into three groups and then helped with mulching native flower gardens, installing signs at the pollinator garden, and staining benches, picnic tables and trash can receptacles.
“Being able to host an event provides park rangers with event experience and allows volunteers to appreciate the local community’s nature,” Bedard said. “Volunteers are vital to enriching park resources for the visitors to enjoy.”
The staff provided volunteers with pizza, and afterwards everyone pitched in and cleaned up supplies and picked up trash.
“We are tremendously happy with the results from this event. Thank you, 503 Cub Scouts and parents, for your hard work to help make our parks better for all to enjoy. Hopefully next year we will be able to facilitate more volunteer projects,” said Tadd Potter, Cheatham Lake resource manager.
National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest single-day volunteer event for public lands. Established in 1994, this celebration brings out thousands of volunteers to help restore and improve public lands around the country. Events are held throughout the month of September, although NPLD is celebrated the fourth Saturday of the month.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District operates the lock, dam, and power plant and manage the project’s public lands and waters. At normal pool elevation 385 feet above mean sea level, Cheatham Lake covers 7,450 acres and has 320 miles of shoreline.
(The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps. The public can also follow Cheatham Lake on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cheathamlake.)