Corps Extends Invitation for Volunteers to Participate at Water Sweep 2014

Vicksburg, Miss… The Vicksburg District of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers invites the public to participate in Water Sweep 2014 on Saturday, September 20. It is not too late to volunteer to participate! Volunteers can still register to help remove debris from within and along the shores of the Ouachita River and have a fun-filled day. This annual award winning event was originated in 2006 to have volunteers clean along the shoreline and remove unwanted obstacles from the banks of the river and the water.

Registration and activities begin at 9:00 a.m. and will continue until 1:00 p.m. Staging sites will be located at Lazarre Park in West Monroe, Forsythe Park in Monroe, Moon Lake Recreation Area, Sterlington Recreation Area, Bawcomville Recreation Area, and Black Bayou National Wildlife Refuge area.

Rangers at the Vicksburg District’s Louisiana Field Office (LFO) along with co-sponsors Keep Monroe Beautiful, Keep West Monroe Beautiful, Angus Chemical (a Dow Company), Keep Ouachita Parish Beautiful organizations, and others will be on-site to meet volunteers.

Contact LFO Natural Resource Officer Ben Nyegaard at 318-366-2081 for more information. To preregister, contact Keep Ouachita Parish Beautiful at 318-355-5622 or www.watersweep.org. Preregistered participants will be given t-shirts while supplies last.

The Vicksburg District’s LFO provides day-use activities and camping at two river systems and three lakes and encompasses the Ouachita-Black River, Red River, Bayou Bodcau, Caddo Lake, Wallace Lake, Grand Ecore Visitor Center, and the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway Regional Visitor Center. The annual attendance at these areas has totaled over 1.3 million visitors.