Issue link: https://alabamapower.uberflip.com/i/811170
8 a p c s hor e l i n e s.c om | 2017 Vol :1 our beautiful resource." To top off the efforts, Alabama Power also conducts surveillance from the water monthly, cruising the entire 880 miles from one end of the lake to the other to identify and address issues. The goal is, simply, nurturing Lake Martin's beauty. Rich Newport, who moved to the lake three years ago from Atlanta, operates drones by day to capture aerial images of lake property for Realtors. "I love the tech stuff but at the same time I appreciate the simpler things of life at the lake. I wake up counting my blessings knowing I'm living here," he says. That's why Newport and his "small group" ministry from Church of the Highlands/Auburn campus have adopted a segment of Sassafras Island. "About four couples will keep it clean as a group," Newport says, "And we'll be appreciating that we have this beautiful place that God created." For Sasha Stewart, the appreciation started in her childhood. And although she and her family have always been trash picker-uppers, she now instills that same ethic in Janson, her first- grade son. "Janson has his own little plastic rake and does exactly what we do with larger rakes. I'm teaching my son to leave the island better than it looked when we got there." And about that island. On the Treasured Mile map, it's known as Island S, a relatively small one not far from the marina in Jackson's Gap. "I know the lake so well," says Stewart who came to this same spot with parents Jenny and Jimmy Purvis and grandparents Roy and Debbie Purvis (all still reporting for duty). "Now my husband, Jason, and our son are part of the family tradition to clean up the island." So there we are. Off to a solid start at Lake Martin with the finish line visible, but distant. "It's such a huge lake," Thompson says. "We'll just never finish without a lot of help." To be part of the helping at Lake Martin, visit lmra.info; scroll down under Projects for background and an application form. To find out more about Renew Our Rivers visit alabamapower.com/ renewourrivers. Above: Photo by Bernard TroncaLe – LMR A President John Thompson and Alabama Power Shoreline Management team members R hett Hanks and Clint McKelvey stand in front of the first sign installed on Lake Martin.