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6 For Jon Lambert and his two sons, taking part in the annual Renew Our Rivers cleanup on Lake Jordan has become a family tradition. They have been among the earliest volunteers on the lake for every cleanup for nearly 15 years. "I make a point to come back every year because the lake is important to me," said Ken Lambert, who drives three hours from his Huntsville home. "The lake is a place that I've visited my whole life, and I want to keep it clean for generations to come. Renew Our Rivers is important because it's the driving catalyst that gets people working together for a great cause." Chris Lambert agrees with his brother, adding that their family believes giving back to the community is their responsibility. "Our father always taught us that if you are going to use something, always make sure you leave it in better condition than you found it," Chris said. "We have always strived to apply this to all aspects of our lives, including spending time at the lake." Jon got involved in Renew Our Rivers in 2002 soon after his brother, Bill, retired and moved to the lake. Jon worked on his brother's pontoon boat, helping to spot and haul in floating debris. By the next year, Jon was the captain of his own boat, with his sons, who were then in college, lending a hand as his crew. Through the years, other family members and friends have joined the team. They work together to remove trash and debris from the 1-mile stretch of shoreline that connects the Lambert family's four lakefront homes. "We use a pontoon boat to get in and out of areas and hold the hundreds of pounds of trash we pick up every year," said Ken. "My brother and I usually wear waders and work along the shoreline while others use kayaks to get what we can't reach." Ken and Chris have turned the cleanup into a brotherly competition, with each vying to see who can haul in the most fishing lures that can later be cleaned and reused. At this year's cleanup, the title went to Chris, who found seven lures. Chris said the family has pulled all kinds of "bizarre" items out of the lake through the years. But for him, the most unusual was finding a Volunteers load truck with garbage collected during Renew Our Rivers cleanup. Cleanup Competition FAMILY AFFAIR HELPS LAKE JORDAN 15 YEARS RUNNING BY CARLA DAVIS