BY RACHEL DOVE
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
WARFIELD-KERMIT — Friends of the Tug Fork River needs volunteers to help remove tires from the river in Warfield-Kermit this month.
The cleanup is on two dates, July 12 and 14, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Warfield Boat Ramp will serve as the staging site.
“Pete and I met with Warfield Mayor Ronald Workman and the town council two years ago and discussed the possibility of a cleanup there,” Friends of the Tug Fork River vice president John Burchett said. “They were very receptive to the idea and were completely on board with us to make it happen. Due to COVID, we had to put it on the back burner, but we’re excited to say we are ready to make it happen. All we need now are volunteers — bodies in the water and on the ground.”
Warfield, Kermit and the Martin County Fiscal Court have already committed to the effort.
Warfield Mayor Ronald Workman said the city plans to feed the volunteers on both days. Commissioners are asking for donations of drinks, ice, paper products, condiments, baked goods and side dishes. They are also soliciting monetary contributions.
“This group didn’t have to choose to do their cleanup here,” Workman said. “They have other locations with a need as great as ours, and we are humbled to know they’ll be here in our town. We need to show up and do our part to take advantage of this opportunity and let them know how very thankful we are.”
Kermit Volunteer Fire Department will bring boats to assist with the cleanup.
“We’ve been asked about individuals bringing their own Jon boats as well,” said Burchett. “I always tell them if they’re older boats that you don’t mind getting banged up, we welcome them. If the boat is new or in great shape, I wouldn’t recommend it because I can promise they’ll leave looking a lot different from when they got there.”
Martin County Code Enforcement Officer Paul McCoy will bring a team of five to six inmates who are participating in the work program, according to Martin County Deputy Judge Eric Phelps.
Phelps says he will reach out to community organizations and church youth leaders to get more people involved.
Burchett says the cleanup date could change in the event of rain or a muddy river.
“If the water level should rise, it’s not safe,” he said. “Of course, it goes without saying that we can’t do it in the rain.”
Regardless, the cleanup will happen in Warfield-Kermit.
“The dates may change, but our plans will not,” stated Burchett.
Friends of the Tug Fork River started as a Facebook group for folks to share fishing photos and river updates. The group, founded by Pete Runyons of Pike County, has since become a source of promoting tourism. The nonprofit organization took it further when it started conducting river cleanups. The group has rid the Tug Fork River of thousands of tires that lay at the bottom for decades.
Burchett joined Runyon in 2019. The two men soon realized the need to clean up the river.
“No one wants to be on the river fishing or kayaking and look down into the water and see nothing but a bunch of old tires,” said Burchett. “We agreed that it was now our responsibility to clean up the sins of our forefathers who disposed of old tires simply by tossing them in the river or lining the banks of the Tug with them, awaiting the next high water event to take them.
“We must break the cycle, the curse of the generational teachings, and change the mindset of those who call this area home,” added Burchett. “We have to do our part to clean up the years of river dumping and make our waters something to be proud of.”
The group has partnered with residents, government and state agencies, REAP (Regional Environmental Action Plan), and other organizations. In 2019, they pulled over 2,300 tires from the Tug in a small area in just four days.
Due to COVID restrictions in 2020, the cleanup comprised a small number of volunteers and netted 200 tires pulled by hand between Harvey Street Bridge and Third Avenue Bridge in Williamson.
In 2021, using amphibious machinery, the group removed around 2,600 tires from the waterway within the Williamson city limits. Plans then began to move forward that had been discussed before the COVID-19 pandemic to do the same in other locations, including Warfield-Kermit and Matewan.
Burchett explained that the amphibious machinery loosens tires from the riverbed. The volunteers then pull the tires from the water, rinse the mud and debris, and load them on Jon boats. The boats float to the bank, where the volunteers on the ground load the tires on trailers.
Follow Friends of Tug Fork River on Facebook. You can also reach out to Warfield City Hall or the Kermit Volunteer Fire Department for more information.