April 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 35

Kathleen Gibi (second from left; pregnant at the time), executive
director of Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful, and other
participants take part in a cleanup.
Loudoun Lake of the Tennessee
River just days prior to the Bassmaster
Classic in Knoxville, Tennessee,
which attracted its largest
crowd ever with 164,000 fans, generating
an estimated $32.2 million
economic impact for the region.
This year, Yamaha Rightwaters
is installing one of KTNRB's electric
litter skimmers at one of its facilities
on the Tennessee River. The
Seabin, which operates 24/7 to filter
out up to 3,000 pounds of marine
debris a year, also can filter out
oils,
gasoline,
microplastics and
tiny Styrofoam balls. Yamaha's facility
is managing one of KTNRB's
19 Seabins, which comprise the
largest network of Seabin devices
on any river system in the world!
While removing waste from
incredibly importwaterways
is
ant
work, preventing waste from
being generated in the first place
is a much more efficient strategy.
Yamaha Rightwaters looked to reduce
the amount of plastic waste
generated by its parent company.
First conceived in 2021, the Yamaha
Plastic Recycling Program
started as a way to redirect supply
chain plastic waste that was being
generated by Yamaha boat builders.
The program takes plastics and
breaks them down to their base
materials for reuse. This process reduces
the need to extract and process
additional raw materials within
the plastic production system.
The Yamaha Plastics Recycling
Program surpassed 41,651 pounds
in December 2023 and continues
throughout 2024.
Managing the Threat
of Non-Indigenous Species
Since
the
earliest
were not able to adapt to their
new environments and faded into
obscurity. Some not only adapted
but thrived. Many of these nonIndigenous
species arrived in a place
where they had no predators, no
real competitors and environmental
circumstances that allowed their
populations to grow out of control.
These invaders quickly can take over
and push Indigenous species out,
either through direct vacuuming of
resources or because they start a chain
reaction in the local environment
that
makes
new circumstances
unlivable for the original inhabitants.
Non-Indigenous species can spread
rapidly, particularly in the marine
environment, and devastate natural
ecosystems.
One of the most prevalent of
these non-Indigenous
species is
travelers made
their way across the world, plant
and animal species hitched rides
with them. Many of these species
the lionfish. A predatory reef fish
originally from the Indo-Pacific,
lionfish were introduced around
the globe through releases from the
aquarium trade. These beautiful
but voracious predators are particularly
destructive in the Gulf and
Atlantic Coasts, as well as the Caribbean.
In these regions, the lionfish
has no natural predators, largely
due to its intimidating spines
that possess venomous tips. This
lack of natural predators means
their populations grow unchecked.
This, combined with an appetite
for small fish and crustaceans, can
clear an entire reef in no time.
To tackle these invaders, Yamaha
Rightwaters partnered with Gulf
Coast Lionfish Tournaments to
support the Emerald Coast Open
Lionfish Tournament. The tournament
continues to break records
for number of lionfish removed,
as well as records for the largest
and smallest lionfish harvested. In
2023, the previous record of 19,167
was shattered by an incredible total
of 24,699 lionfish removed.
Beyond
the
non-Indigenous
waterways
coastal waters,
species
across
the
to
Yamaha Rightwaters partnered
with the Center for Coastal Conservation
Maryland
The Great Chesapeake Invasives
Count, a contest specifically targeting
non-Indigenous
impact
nation.
support
species, such
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | APRIL 2 0 2 4 | Parks & Recreation
35
PHOTO COURTESY OF KEEP THE TENNESSEE RIVER BEAUTIFUL
April 2024 – Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2024 – Parks & Recreation
