2020 Hurricane Creek Cleanup

The 2020 Hurricane Creek Cleanup will be held April 4, 2020 
at Watson's Bend on Holt Peterson Rd.
April 4, 2020 from 09;00 until 12 noon
Interactive map
  It's that time of year again. Time for some good clean fun on the creek. This marks 27 years straight that the Friends of Hurricane Creek have hosted this event.




Over the years we have removed tons of garbage, household appliances, vehicles and their tires by the hundreds. It's a shame that we still have trash to pick after all that time but I can say it is getting less.





As usual, after the cleanup is completed, we have a pot-luck meal and lots of good old fashion neighborly fun. Bring your favorite recipe and feel free to join right in!
This year we have an added Event later that night at the home my good friend and long time friend of Hurricane Creek, Dr. Doug Woodward.
Dr. Woodward's Home, Shades Creek Estates

 
It is a fund raiser for Friends of Hurricane Creek with donations accepted gratefully but not a requirement to attend. We want to meet and greet as many people as possible. I will give a short presentation about the natural treasure we have here and might even break out my own guitar for a set.  He has a great big place right on the creek bank and will have live music, food and a few non-alcoholic beverages.
If you prefer to have a beer of other spirit, that's up to you. This event is on a long curvy woodland road so please drink responsibly.
 We, here at Friends of Hurricane Creek can't do this work alone. We need and appreciate all of the help in the past and hope to see a lot of you again this year!
The Friends of Hurricane Creek is a tax-deductible 501 (c) 3 organization dedicated to the overall health and well being of Hurricane Creek and all of it's inhabitants. Founded in 1993 as the Friends of Hurricane Creek, our sole mission has been to stop the flow of major pollution sources and begin the process of recovery. The creek suffers from decades of abuse from coal mining, over development, poor building code enforcement, and overuse of herbicide by Southern Company.

Many of the contributing sources have left the watershed for various reasons stemming from our enforcement and the decline of  the coal industry.
To join FoHC, use the "Join" button here and on the right on this page page.

In 2003 we became the 121st Waterkeeper licensed program in the US. Our Creekkeeper is John L. Wathen who was one of the founding members and longest standing member. Under the watchful eye of the Hurricane Creekkeeper we have successfully turned what was once described as a stream that was on the brink of destruction to a stream in dramatic recovery.

Your Hurricane Creekkeeper


Hurricane Creek is a wealth of photogenic overlooks and wonderful flora and fauna that displays spectacular colors almost year round. Here's some shots from Fall, 2019
. 

There's something mystical about being in a creek or river when the sun comes up. I like to get there just before sunrise and wait for that golden hour of soft light that comes just before full sunshine washes the colors out. The eye of the camera can bring out colors you might not see with the naked eye. I'll never forget my first photo trip to the creek with my mentor, Beth Young. 

Beth, in her element... Water

She said be ready at 06:30. I woke up to hear her blowing the horn outside my window so I threw on some pants and ran out to go shoot without even a cup of coffee. Fortunately Beth had pity on me AND a big thermos of hot coffee. I kept thinking, what the heck am I doing? About 5 minutes on the water in that light and I was absolutely sold on being there and have made it a regular part of my scenic photo work. Believe me, it's worth it!


William Green, Seth Farmer, Montana Maniscalco, Mack Mccollum



Fall 2019 is here and shaping up to be a pretty one. With the recent drought, I was skeptical about how much color we would see. It may not last long so get your cameras out, charge up the batteries, format the cards and get out there and capture it.


I had the honor to host the crew with Center for Public Television making content for APR this year for a documentary film about the creek. Interviews will air on APR with a video segment posted to their social media site. I'll keep you posted on the release date.




Early in the mornings when the temps change overnight creates a light fog which rises from the surface and dances upward like spirits. I call them Fog Dancers.






 Enjoy the photos included here but also, go out and get your own and share. I'll be going out several times while the colors are right. Every Fall is different. Every year, there's some special place like Hurricane Creek which is waiting on you to show its true glory.
















Lots of folks want to know where we are. Here's an interactive map to our creek side club property

Below are some scenes from our cleanup last year. Don't let this years photo be taken

without YOU!















   

What insects tell us about Hurricane Creek

With the assistance of a special viewer, you can see a magnified version of benthic macroinvertebrates found at Hurricane Creek. Can you tell the critter from the pebbles?

At this year's Friends of Hurricane Creek Annual Cleanup, children conducted a stream survey along Hurricane Creek Park for local benthic macroinvertebrates. They learned how to identify microorganisms and read data about the stream's health by the presence or absence of specific species.



Young and old alike explored the secret 
underwater life of Hurricane Creek. 




Explore our website for more information on how to join Friends of Hurricane Creek or support your Hurricane Creekkeeper. For more information about events, sightings, and daily life at Hurricane Creek, join our Facebook Group or "Like" or Facebook Page. FOHC is a nonprofit, and our Creekkeeper's work cannot continue without your support. Thank you.
http://waterkeeper.org/

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