Photo Courtesy of Giles County

By D.J. Matthews

The New River is a body of water whose headwaters begin near Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Though it has been a source of life for countless species of plants and animals, as well as home to native humans for over sixty-five million years, it is only in recent times that adjacent communities, like Giles County, have utilized it for economic development.
(Left: Paul Moody and Ann Goette, head organizers for “ReNew the New” Committee, stand on the edge of Moody’s private retreat bordering the New in Giles County. Photo by D. J. Mathews.)  Now that tourism has become the second largest industry in the state, county officials are beginning to consider the potential of the New River. During discussions about improving the appearance of the entire community, it was decided to include the New River in the clean-up plan, as it winds through the middle of the county.
According to Giles County Administrator, Chris McKlarney, there was originally talk in 1999 about having a countywide cleanup. As a result, about ninety volunteers waded along the shores to pick up trash in 2001. Lots of discarded tires were found during that first effort. By 2016, however, there were close to three-hundred volunteers. Some worked to clear trash near the river, but most floated out in canoes and other small watercraft to clear the waters of the New. In just over twenty years, volunteers have removed 200,000 pounds of trash and debris. But it wouldn’t have been possible without the ReNew the New Committee, along with cofounders, Ann Goette and Paul Moody.
(Right: Participants gather for the yearly “ReNew the New” cleanup on the New River.  Photo Courtesy of Giles County.)  Since 1990, Moody has owned a private retreat on the New River called ‘The New River’s Edge’, complete with boat rental. He became familiar with the New River as a boy, splashing around in its waters during family vacations near his boyhood home in Monroe County, West Virginia. Now he goes rafting and fishing with his brother-in-law or with friends, including the much younger, Chris McKlarney. When Moody heard about the county’s newest development plans, he became involved with helping the river.
Cofounder, Ann Goette, was brought up in Louisiana, near the Mississippi. According to Goette, that river was “muddy and flat.” When she moved to this area in her early twenties, Goette was amazed at the New River’s clarity, and she enjoyed swimming in it. Wanting to keep it that way, she contacted Paul Moody and left a message on his voicemail. She let him know she wanted to do something for the river and asked that he call her back.
(Left: Some of the trash items found in the New River from the cleanups.
Photo Courtesy of Giles County.)  In 2005, Goette and Moody got together with Chris McKlarney, as well as the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and several more concerned citizens. Also involved were three outfitters: Moody’s New River’s Edge, The NR Angler, and I Canoe the New, now called NR Outdoor Company. It was eventually decided there would be two cleanups a year. One, called ‘Fall into the New’, would focus on the river. The other would be called ‘Ramps and Roads’ and would be devoted to cleaning up land litter and boat ramps.
During the organization’s first year, roughly 150 volunteers cleaned along the New River from Ripplemead to Bluff City. Using rafts and canoes, they were able to extract a significant amount of garbage, including close to four-hundred tires. According to Goette, it was also discovered that the river had an even larger polluter than fishermen and their beer cans. From Norfolk Southern Railroad Company, the volunteers found items like grease pots, railroad ties, and rusting nails. It took several years and a lunch with officials in Eggleston to get the railroad involved but it’s made a huge difference. “We’ve really cleaned the river,” says Goette.
(Right: Two teams of women volunteers troll the New River for litter during the annual ReNew the New cleanup. Photo Courtesy of Giles County.)  Thanks to those early efforts, as well as Moody, Goette, McKlarney and all their associates and volunteers, ReNew the New has become a countywide event for the Giles community. Thanks to the skills of Paul Moody, dynamic graphics were created for cleanup posters and flyers. He even wrote song lyrics for the organization’s mission: “We want to let the people know/That we have a dream/To make the river flow/Crystal clear and clean…”
To help engage the public, ReNew the New has planned art contests for school children. They’ve also expanded their cleanup efforts to include ‘Carcass Collection’ for those hunters who left animal carcasses in or near the river and roads. The Carcass Collection effort is targeted for the fall and utilizes specific dumpsters in the county just for discarding the carcasses of deer and other animals. Moody tells us these cleanups have spread to other towns along the New, showing “a huge love of the river.”
In 2016, fifteen years after the first county cleanup, ReNew the New and the New River Valley Regional Commission decided to concentrate on the eleven miles between Claytor Lake and Prices Fork bridge. Radford became the focal point that year, and the Radford community has been holding river cleanups every August since. Radford Mayor, David Horton, is proud of the town being called ‘the New River City’ and is concerned about the multiple boating landings that residents and visitors often use. He pointed out that due to flooding, carelessness, and misuse, there’s always trash in the river. The annual cleanup efforts help to keep the river in Radford clean and inviting.
Currently, interest in beautifying the New River is growing. The nearby communities of Pulaski, Montgomery County, and Floyd have conducted their own river cleanup projects in recent years. Giles County has gone a step further, designating its thirty-seven miles of river as ‘The New River Water Trail’. The Water Trail features thirteen boat landings that encourage locals and travelers to visit.
Director of Tourism, Cora Gnegy, felt that the cleanup efforts of ReNew the New had really benefitted river outfitters and other local businesses. With the area being clean and attractive, more people are keen to visit and utilize outfitters, restaurants, and retails stores.
Goette tells us that the cleanup events have brought so many people together to work for a common goal and that the improvements have even resulted in some former residents moving back to the area.
(Right: Students carrying trash back to the entry site.  Photo Courtesy of Giles County.)  Here in 2022, ReNew the New Program Coordinator Charles Mullins says the river clearly has less garbage after two decades of cleanups. Ann Goette says that in one recent river cleanup, people were actually disappointed that they only found two tires! Going forward, Mullins hopes a school program called ‘Litter Quitters’ will create the mindset to continue the tradition of keeping the roads and rivers clean in the county.
The most recent river cleanup event was August 27, 2022, during which Radford and many other communities in the New River Valley once more took to the shores and waters. For more information on the cleanup events for 2023, or for anyone interested in being a part of a future cleanup, visit online at www.renewthenew.org, or follow ReNew the New on Facebook.

ReNew the New • www.RenewTheNew.org
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