MountainTrue, an environmental organization based in the Southern Blue Ridge, announced June 2 that their Watauga Riverkeeper installed Boone’s first Trash Trout in Winkler Creek along the Greenway in partnership with the Town of Boone. The Trash Trout Jr. is a passive litter collection device that catches debris floating down a waterway for removal. A large cage with a wide mouth that floats on pontoons, the Trash Trout is installed in creeks and streams where it prevents trash from entering main waterways. MountainTrue says that large pieces of trash and plastic are trapped inside the Trash Trout, while smaller organic matter passes through and other aquatic wildlife pass below the device.
An Asheville-based environmental nonprofit named GreenWorks designed the trapper and partners with other environmental organizations to target tributaries near areas that may have more trash introduced into the waterway. Watauga Riverkeeper Andy Hill oversaw the installation, adding that the team at MountainTrue are “very grateful for GreenWorks’ partnership,” as well as the town of Boone and longtime river advocate and Sustainability and Special Projects Manager for the town of Boone, George Santucci.
To learn more, please read the full article, Watauga Riverkeeper Installs Trash Trout in Winkler Creek (PDF)