With an annual meeting coming up, the Watershed Association of the Tellico Reservoir is hoping to get new people involved in the coming year.
WATeR is a nonprofit organization that focuses on “issues, policies and practices that promote clean air, water and natural habitat so humans can live, work and play in harmony with native plants and animals as well as with each other,” according to the organization’s website.
Tom Paul, WATeR president, said the goal is to maintain or improve natural beauty throughout the Tellico Reservoir. To do that, the organization needs the right people.
“We’re really looking for experience. Like the water quality committee has three Ph.Ds on board,” Paul said. “We have expertise in basically all areas.”
More than anything, WATeR needs people who are willing to give time.
WATeR is involved in projects that range from monitoring discharge permits so that lakes aren’t being damaged by waste dumped into them to cleaning up trash along the shorelines.
“It just takes people’s time,” Paul said. “We can’t hire somebody to do it. ... We just need people who can help and want to help.”
Kevin Kuklok, membership chairman for WATeR, is working to spread the word about ways to be involved. Tasks include taking part in lakeshore cleanup activities and working on one of the organization’s committees.
One reason for the push is that in looking at similar organizations around the area, Kuklok noticed younger membership, some with an average age of about 25. WATeR’s membership is mostly retired individuals.
“We’re just trying to see if we can extend that envelope and see if we can get a better penetration of the masses,” Kuklok said. “... We’re looking for new members and primarily just to keep us current with the demographic trends.”
Another reason to seek younger membership is that a lot of the cleanup work done by WATeR involves “manual labor,” he said.
The biggest area of need right now is through the organization’s Adopt-A-Spot program, which allows people to take on the task of keeping a section of the East Lakeshore Trail or another part of the watershed clean.
The spots are typically areas that attract campers or are easy places for groups to congregate.
“There’s generally more trash and stuff that’s built up so we try to keep those spots looking good all the time,” Kuklok said.
A recent website upgrade has been one small piece in attracting new people. Hopes are the more user-friendly site will provide visitors with basic information about WATeR.
“There are people that don’t even know what we’re doing, don’t even know who we are, don’t know the importance of the watershed to the region,” Kuklok said.
WATeR will hold its annual meeting at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Community Church at Tellico Village. While Jeff Hunter with the National Park Conservancy will feature as keynote speaker, the club will also share information about its needs.
“We will have a short presentation from all the various committee chairmen on what they’ve been up to in the year and what their problems are,” Paul said. “We’re going to concentrate on what we are doing, where we are doing it and where we need help.”
The meeting is a good time for anybody curious about the work to stop by and consider signing up.
Paul originally joined to give back to the community where he lives — something he called a “social obligation.” Working with other volunteers keeps him coming back.
“You work with quality people,” Paul said. “They’re all volunteers. They all want to be there. I’m working with … people who are here because they think they can help and want to do it. That’s the most rewarding part is working with people who want to help.”
For more information on WATeR and how to be involved, visit www.tellicowater.org.
