In their second cleanup on their river mile, the self-proclaimed 'Whispering River Trash Panda Task Force' removed 958 lbs. of trash on Mile #25 of the Little River in November 2025.
After 72 adoptions in 2025, there are now 309 river miles adopted within the Tennessee River watershed in Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful’s Adopt a River Mile Program presented by Publix. (To give perspective, the main stem of the Tennessee River is 652 miles in length.)
Participants in Adopt a River Mile program (AARM) commit to hosting two cleanups a year within their river mile. That cleanup can be as little as one person cleaning, up to a fully organized cleanup put on by the adoptee. The program was launched by Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful in 2018 and participants have been reporting their poundage collected since 2021.
In 2025, river mile adoptees reported removing 61,535 lbs. of trash. To date, the program has seen a total of 337,241 lbs. of trash collected by adoptees since 2021. (That isn’t even counting the 1,034,466 lbs. of trash removed at Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful® organized volunteer cleanups with their two 26-foot boats.)
Now in 2026, Publix Super Markets is continuing its title sponsorship of the Adopt a River Mile program (AARM) offered within the seven-state Tennessee River watershed by Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTnRB).
NEW ‘AARM WRESTLING’ CHALLENGE
This year, the program is launching a friendly ‘AARM Wrestling’ Challenge to promote further river mile adoptions, with the goal to see full adoptions of each of the nine lakes in the Tennessee River’s main stem.
Throughout the year, the nine lakes of the Tennessee River’s main stem will be ranked as the percentage of adopted miles vs. miles remaining to be adopted are calculated each month. Here are the current rankings as the program stands as of January 22, 2026:
TENNESSEE RIVER Main Stem LAKE MILES ADOPTED PERCENTAGES
1. Fort Loudoun Lake: 31/59 - 52.54%
2. Pickwick Lake: 27/54 - 50.00%
3. Kentucky Lake: 68/174 - 39.08%
4. Chickamauga Lake: 18/58 - 31.03%
5. Nickajack Lake: 13/47 - 27.66%
6. Watts Bar Lake: 8/73 - 10.96%
7. Wheeler Lake: 8/74 - 10.81%
8. Guntersville Lake: 6/77 - 7.79%
9. Wilson Lake: 0/16 - 0.00%
Kathleen Gibi, KTnRB Executive Director, said that the Publix sponsorship truly helped catalyze the nonprofit’s Adopt a River Mile program, one of the most mission-critical programs it offers.
“With a mission ‘to educate and inspire others to take action for the Tennessee River,’ we consider our Adopt a River Mile program the endgame goal for our river cleanup efforts,” said Gibi. “With the support from a well-respected brand like Publix, we’ve truly seen a new level of momentum build in the program.”
Every participant in KTnRB’s free Adopt a River Mile program receives a package that includes river cleanup supplies, volunteer t-shirts, and stainless-steel water bottles (an example of a solution to the cups, bottles and cans found on river shorelines). They also receive a sign with the individual/group name declaring the river mile under their care. New adoptees in 2025 also received Publix swag in their AARM package.
“Publix is proud to continue our title sponsorship of the Adopt a River Mile program for a second year,” said Publix Director of Environmental and Sustainability Programs Paul Osley. “Supporting this program helps Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful continue the positive momentum from 2025. Being good stewards of the environment is part of our mission at Publix, so we are pleased to be part of a program that’s benefitting several of the states we operate in.”
The original scope of the program has historically been supported through a work plan that KTnRB has with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Tennessee Department of Transportation, two agencies that have also long-supported KTnRB’s river cleanup efforts. The adoption signs are provided by KTnRB partner and national nonprofit, Living Lands & Waters.
To adopt a river mile within the Tennessee River watershed, please visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/adopt.