Now, what is the Adopt-A-Lake Program? Back in January of this year, the Lake County Board of County Commissioners approved this program to provide caretakers of some of the County's 600 named lakes, springs, rivers and creeks. Along with cleaning up these different bodies of water, the program is to educate the community about protecting, preserving and restoring the natural resources of the county's water bodies. "Better water quality and less trash equals healthier lakes for recreation and higher property values," said Cathie McGwier, Lake County Environmental Services adoption program coordinator. "The community has a stake in this."

The Club's area of responsibility is from Morgan's Marina to Griffin Marina. The area is approximately 7- 9 miles of shoreline on the western shore of Lake Griffin .

The refuse cleanup is done on a monthly basis and the Club needs to establish a "fixed" schedule for the convenience of the volunteers. It is proposed (but can be changed depending on the schedules of the majority of those signing up) that the Tuesday after each month's Breakfast Meeting.

As for the clean-up days, Tom Green's pontoon boat will be the refuse depository vehicle. Other boats, kayaks and canoes are needed to participate. It is planned to offer hot dogs cooked on the pontoon boat for donations to cover food costs.

The Board of Directors has approved a yearly budget of $300 to cover expenses such as trash bags, gloves, gas and grabbers

If you would like more information on Lake County Adopt-A-Lake Program, click for the Adopt-A-Lake Newsletter and the January 23rd Leesburg Commercial Newspaper article.