Marking the 11 th year since its founding, Great Gwinnett Wetlands 2025 will incorporate two worksites devoted to restoring native wildlife habitats. Hosted on Saturday, March 1, the annual wetlands stewardship event coincides with the United Nations’ World Wildlife Day, a global observation designed to celebrate wild animals and plants and their unique contributions to the planet. As one of the largest counties in Georgia’s Piedmont Region, Gwinnett County is abundant with wetlands that surround area creeks, streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes. Those wetlands are home to countless species of local flora and fauna. Great Gwinnett Wetlands is vital to the ongoing stewardship of Gwinnett’s numerous wetlands. In addition to building awareness of the essential role wetlands play, the event also protects their vitality by removing litter and overgrowth, which harm water resources like the Yellow River, the Chattahoochee River, and, ultimately, the near-pristine Altamaha River. Great Gwinnett Wetlands organizers at Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and Gwinnett Water Resources are issuing a call for volunteers to aid in the cleanup.

“World Wildlife Day is celebrated two days after our event, all across the globe,” said Schelly Marlatt, Executive Director of Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful. “I can think of no better way to celebrate than by ridding our local wildlife’s habitats of litter and pollutants, as well as invasive privet that may harm the health of the wetlands they call home. Wetlands are special ecosystems where land and water meet. Their inhabitants include everything from the fish, salamanders, and frogs that are plentiful in the water to the birds, chipmunks, squirrels, and deer that live and forage on the land. We’ll need as many volunteers as possible to make a meaningful impact on the day of our event. Volunteers should expect to get a little dirty while they do something beautiful for our community and the animals that share it with us.”

In addition to being home to local flora and fauna, wetlands are “saturated lands” that act as sponges – collecting and storing excess water to help prevent flooding. As stormwater runoff enters a wetland, often carrying litter and nonpoint source pollutants with it, the wetland captures trash and can even provide some treatment of those pollutants. Multiple teams of volunteers will fan out across two wetland locations to collect water quality data, remove litter, and cut back invasive privet. The two Great Gwinnett Wetlands 2025 worksites include:

• Site 1 - Club Drive Park - Led by Parks & Recreation staff, volunteers will conduct a clean-up and manage invasive plant species to prevent deterioration of this local wetland.

• Site 2 - Gateway Park at Gas South District - Led by Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and Gwinnett Water Resources staff, volunteers will participate in a litter clean-up and help with erosion control.

Marlatt invites anyone interested to register for the location of their choosing through Volunteer Gwinnett and be part of this impactful initiative. Check-in takes place at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 1, at the site they designate when registering. For Club Drive Park, that site is located at 3330 Club Drive in Lawrenceville. For Gateway Park, that site is located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth. Questions can be directed to 678.277.0904.  To learn more about Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and its upcoming events, please visit www.GwinnettCB.org.