Get Involved
There are several ways you can help the Tennessee Riverkeeper achieve its mission by volunteering, donating, becoming a member or spreading the word. This year, 121 volunteers contributed service to Riverkeeper.
The “Dollar Value” of Volunteering:
According to The Independent Sector (http://www.independentsector.org/volunteer_time) the most recent estimated national dollar value of volunteer time is $27.20 per hour. 121 volunteers donated more than 2,279.5 service hours through Tennessee Riverkeeper in 2020! Multiplied by $27.20, our volunteers’ time represented a contribution of $62,002.40 to the community! Thank you, volunteers!
Below you can read more about ways to help us preserve these important rivers!
If you have any questions on how you can get involved, please do not hesitate to email us at info@tennesseeriver.org.
Become a Member!
A Tennessee Riverkeeper member is a valuable asset to fight for clean water!
Your support of the Tennessee Riverkeeper through your membership contribution will help us fight for clean water and preserve the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers for future generations. The more members Riverkeeper has, the louder our voice becomes in protecting your river!
To become a member or renew your membership, download and complete the Membership form and mail it with payment to our address:
Tennessee Riverkeeper
P.O. Box 2594
Decatur, AL 35602
Volunteer
Have fun while supporting a great cause!
We have the perfect volunteer opportunities waiting for you. We offer a wide range of events that are fun and rewarding.
Join us now, and help protect the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers by emailing: info@tennesseeriver.org.
Volunteer opportunities include:
River Clean-Ups
Volunteers will attend pre-scheduled cleanups advertised by Tennessee Riverkeeper, and/or set up their own cleanup(s). If setting up your own cleanup, size can vary as much as needed, from a 1-person litter-pickup to a large cleanup involving an entire group. Email Tennessee Riverkeeper for details at info@tennesseeriver.org.
“Action Alert” Response Team
Volunteers will pledge to follow up quickly on all “Action Alert” emails that we occasionally send to our email list. Examples include signing petitions or calling public officials about an upcoming decision that affects water quality.
New Member Recruiting
Volunteers can help recruit friends, relatives or colleagues to become members or by helping us prepare/mail letters to potential members identified by other volunteers.
Social Media Out Reach
Volunteers will receive instructions about how to perform various types of public outreach to Tennessee Riverkeeper’s friends, as well as to potential Friends through:
Data Entry
Help us maintain our contact database by uploading contact information into our database system. This project can be done at the Riverkeeper office or elsewhere if possible. Other data entry may also merge with our Pollution Permit Research project.
Event Publicity Team
Help us advertise fundraisers and educational events, and also get our name, logo, and contact information more visible in the community by posting fliers on campus and town sites, in stores or via social media.
Pollution Permit Research
Volunteers with a legal background will help our prosecuting attorney analyze Clean Water Act pollution discharge permits to ensure that polluters are complying with the law. Other volunteers will identify zip codes within the Tennessee River watershed and use them to run searches for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits – permitted discharges of pollution allowed by the Clean Water Act. Searches will be run on several easy-to-use Environmental Protection Agency websites. This research helps us identify current/potential polluters. This project may also include data entry to help us organize information about current/potential polluters.
Write Letters to Editors of Newspapers
Volunteers will choose one or more newspaper(s), whether scholastic, small town, or big city, and scan them daily for articles relevant to the Tennessee River Valley and its tributaries. After finding a relevant environmental article, volunteers will write a personal letter about that article, in support of a cleaner, healthier Tennessee River watershed. Volunteers will send their letter to the newspaper’s editor for possible publication.
Researching Relevant Events and Setting up an Information Booth
Volunteers will peruse the events section of Tennessee Riverkeeper’s website to see if there are events listed at which they could help represent us. Volunteers will also research similar events not listed on our website. After asking us if a given event would be appropriate for representing us, volunteers will receive materials to display/distribute there at Riverkeeper’s table or booth.
Tell Your Friends
Word of mouth is the most powerful tool to spread our message of clean water.
Talk to your friends about river issues and our organization. Send your friends to our video page to learn about the work of Tennessee Riverkeeper!
Use social media to spread the word. The easiest way to share Tennessee Riverkeeper with your friends is by becoming our Facebook Friend and follow us on Twitter.
Anytime you can tell your friends about the work we do helps support our fight for clean water.
report pollution
The public is encouraged to report pollution observed in the Tennessee or Cumberland Rivers and Watersheds.
Don’t let pollution go on unnoticed. Call (615) 236-6308.