SHORELINES

20 Shor e l i n e S | 2014 Vol :1 Daybreak at Beeswax Landing on Jan. 18 was a run-of-the-mill winter morning at Lay Lake. The rising sun transferred its golden hue from the sky to the lake's surface, creating a misty haze hovering above the waterline and warming frost left by below-freezing temperatures the night before. The serenity of dawn was broken by the muffled communication of high school anglers well-wrapped against the chill as they loaded their boats into the frigid waters for their first tournament of the season. But instead of racing the sun in hopes of hooking a fish worthy of a tall tale, more than 30 students from four schools across the state braved the elements in hopes of stuffing the most trash bags emblazoned with the Renew Our Rivers logo to win top prize at the first Cleanup Classic. "These high school teams are used to being out on the lake early to compete," said Kay Donaldson, program director for the Alabama Bass Trail. "Instead of competing for the most fish, they are competing to pick up the most trash. It is a great way to get them involved with the Renew Our Rivers program." The first of more than 30 cleanups in 2014, the Cleanup Classic kicked off Renew Our River's 15th year by removing more than 5,000 pounds of trash from Lay Lake. Since Renew Our The Cleanup Classic H I G H S C H O O L A N G L E R S C O M P E T E F O R M O S T P O U N D S O F T R A S H I N S T E A D O F F I S H . Above: Photo by nik layman — Student anglers helped kick off Renew Our Rivers this year at Lay Lake, removing 5,000 pounds of trash.

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