Boone Lake Association hosts annual Lake Cleanup Day
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Boone Lake Association (BLA) was handed a donation check from Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Bristol on Saturday during its annual Lake Cleanup Day, which works to clear trash and debris from Boone Lake.
The annual event hosted by the BLA aims to keep the lake clean and free of trash and debris. Volunteers gathered to collect trash, and for each bag of trash turned in, a participant received one prize ticket. The tickets could be spent to enter several door prize drawings, one of which included a new canoe donated by community member JoAnne Coates.
BLA President Frank Hahne told News Channel 11 during the association's annual event that he hopes boaters will practice safety this summer, as his crews have observed extra debris scattered across the lakebed from Hurricane Helene.
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'But this year, especially, be cautious,' he said. 'When Hurricane Helene came through this area back in September, the lake had already started to drop. The lake is now coming up to the same level, and we are finding–our crews that brought three boats around for this event today–are finding those Helene logs are now floating and coming down into the lake. So be careful.'
Hahne said the BLA utilizes five boats to assist in cleaning 130 miles of lake shoreline and operates solely on donations. He said the association also conducts weekly water testing on Boone Lake and posts results on its website, boonelakeassociation.org, as they come in.
The BLA was recently awarded for its efforts in waterway conservation in the State of Tennessee.
Members of Hard Rock Bristol joined volunteers at Winged Deer Park on Saturday during the event to help clean the shoreline, and after the work was done, casino leaders presented the BLA with $3,720.
Those funds were raised through casino team members purchasing 'Save the Planet' shirts this month.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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