Sweep Up the Southeast: Creating Seeds of Stewardship

In the heart of September, when the greenery is lush with deciduous vegetation, crowds gather at key locations across the southeast. This year, Sweep Up the Southeast, an initiative aimed at cleaning and revitalizing the region’s National Forests, made waves, thanks in large part to the efforts of Venture Unknown Foundation.

The Genesis of Venture Unknown

Venture Unknown began with Sean Clark, a former aircraft structure mechanic, with an adult-onset penchant for camping in the wild. “Camping saved my life. In my teenage years, I was a hellion. God bless my mother. When camping came back into my life as an adult, I took off in a Honda CRX—which is not a camping vehicle—that started a life on fire for camping and adventure.” After a few years of disorganized camping in an under-equipped vehicle, he upgraded to an 80 Series Landcruiser and began taking trips with his family. Searching for community and a platform to share their incredible adventures, he started posting on Facebook under the handle Venture Unknown. What began as a simple digest of trip reports, has quickly grown into a Facebook group of over 5,800 participants with in-person events like rallies, clean-ups, and overland expeditions.

Yet, for Clark, and this growing Venture Unknown community, it’s impossible to not notice the degradation of the land they recreate on. Broken glass, tires, and beer cans litter the Forest Service roads that act as gateways to adventure. It’s painful to see, while simultaneously, being incredibly motivating. This moved Clark, and his now growing team, to establish a stewardship arm of the Venture Unknown company called the Venture Unknown Foundation. They execute stewardship projects like clean-ups throughout the year, but with a specific focus on an emerging, region-wide event called Sweep Up the Southeast.

Sweep Up the Southeast volunteers have cleaned up over 178,500 pounds of trash, logged 150 miles of trails, and executed 2,500 hours of volunteer time to restore National Forests across the southeast. This year’s event took place on September 7th with 14 teams, in 10 states, and 12 National Forests covering a triangle from Florida to Virginia to Arkansas. The event is designed to engage a wide spectrum of participants, from seasoned to first-time volunteers. Their goal is simple yet profound: to inspire a deep sense of responsibility and connection to the land.

Adventure Forever Grants

The onX Access and Stewardship program exists to empower organizations such as the Venture Unknown Foundation to positively impact their communities and ecosystems. So when we heard they wanted to activate their community in the southeast around stewardship and clean-up days, it was a natural fit. We believe that offroaders have incredible potential and capabilities to create lasting change–not just for offroaders, but for all user groups who visit these National Forests. We’re proud to have awarded them a 2024 Adventure Forever Grant. Part of the funding we allocated allowed them to rent dumpsters rather than using their traditional methods of using trailers, trasharoos, and strapping things to the roof of their vehicles. “We had discarded tires on top of trucks trying to find landfills to take them. With the help of the Adventure Forever Grant, it made a night and day difference,” says Clark. 

Public access in the southeast is fleeting and deserves to be cherished and celebrated. Organizations like Venture Unknown Foundation steward the land, and by virtue, enable retained access. 

The Day of the Event

It’s the morning of September 7th, 2024. Team Captains have scouted their respective National Forest, secured their Volunteer Service Agreements, and had a nice night out in the woods camping. Participants are gathered filling out their forms and tuning into a driver’s briefing. At 10 o’clock, Clark stops what he’s doing to reflect, “Hundreds of us, across 10 states are doing the exact same thing that I’m doing, for the good of our planet.” Each group, equipped with gloves, trash bags, and a commitment to making a difference, is assigned a specific area to tackle.

Inspired by an event close to her home in western North Carolina, onX’s own Megan Cooke joined the Cherokee National Forest crew for the day with her two kids. “Everyone was super friendly and stoked. We drove in a line to certain areas until it was time to hop out and clean up. It was a really great operation and super organized,” she said. She witnessed a tight-knit community. Reunions and high fives were shared amongst friends who have returned to participate in this event from years past. 

The need for this type of work isn’t immediately apparent. The lush greenery tends to hide the debris that’s deeper in the woods, but upon closer inspection our public lands are in dire shape. The Forest Service on its own is too underfunded to meet the demands of today’s visitation rates, which is why Volunteer Service agreements and clean-ups like this are critical. Cooke outlines the importance of access, but distinguishes that, “These organizations are crucial for keeping the forest in a state that’s usable. It’s wanting to be there and use it. If you row your boat up to a beach that’s filled with glass and broken bottles, you’re not going to keep going back. That’s why Venture Unknown Foundation’s clean-ups are so important.” 

Looking Forward

The Sweep Up the Southeast event serves as a testament to the power of collective action. Venture Unknown Foundation’s dedication and the community’s response have set a new standard for initiatives in the region. As the years progress, the group plans to build on these seeds of success, expanding their reach and continuing to inspire individuals to take ownership of their stewardship initiatives. The story of this event and the Venture Unknown Foundation is a powerful example of how grassroots efforts can lead to meaningful change, one clean-up at a time.