Heflin, AL — In celebration of Earth Day, North Alabama Trails and Recreation (NATR) is teaming up with Cleburne County Middle School for a community-wide cleanup event on Tuesday, April 22, aimed at fostering environmental stewardship among local youth.
The event will involve 120 seventh-grade students who will spend the day cleaning up locations across Heflin, including school campuses, river access points, and Cahulga Creek Park. The effort is being supported by volunteers from the Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO).
“This Earth Day, we’re excited to engage students directly in making a difference in their own community,” said organizers from NATR. “By involving them hands-on, we hope to instill a lasting sense of responsibility toward the environment.”
The cleanup will kick off at 8:00 a.m. at Cleburne County Middle School with an Earth Day and Leave No Trace briefing. Students will then move to clean up their school campuses before heading out to river access points and concluding the day with a final cleanup session and celebration at Cahulga Creek Park.
To make the event more engaging, students will participate in a friendly competition between boys and girls to see who can collect the most trash. The winning group will earn bragging rights and the highly sought-after Earth Day Clean-Up Trophy.
The event schedule includes:
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8:00 AM – Earth Day briefing at CCMS
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8:30 AM – Cleanup at middle, elementary, and high school campuses
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9:30 AM – River access cleanup
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11:00 AM – Travel to Cahulga Creek Park
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11:30 AM – Lunch
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12:15 PM – Park cleanup
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1:15 PM – Trophy announcement and group photo
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1:45 PM – Student departure
NATR is committed to promoting outdoor activity and environmental awareness across the region. Through educational programs and community events, NATR works to encourage responsible recreation and a deeper connection to nature.
The Alabama Power Service Organization is a volunteer nonprofit made up of employees and families of Alabama Power, Southern Nuclear, Southern Linc, and Southern Company Services. APSO supports communities through acts of service and time-giving initiatives that make a difference.
