BATON ROUGE - Registration is now open for Love Our Waterways, a new statewide waterway and shoreline cleanup initiative taking place across Louisiana throughout September.

Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and Keep Louisiana Beautiful Executive Director Susan Russell sat down with 2une In's John Pastorek to discuss the initiative, which kicks off Monday morning with a news conference and litter cleanup event at The Water Institute in Baton Rouge.

"Our Love the Boot Week volunteers showed what's possible when people across Louisiana work together with pride and purpose," Nungesser said. "Now we're building on that momentum with Love Our Waterways and asking Louisianans to help protect the rivers, lakes, bayous and coastlines that define our way of life."

Nungesser says Louisiana's 14,400-mile waterway system supports the state's culture, economy, seafood industry, wildlife and outdoor recreation.

September is globally recognized as Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup Month and World Cleanup Day will take place on Sept. 20. Love Our Waterways will serve as a registered effort supporting both initiatives.

Volunteers can clean up shorelines, clear out drains and ditches, clean up by paddle or motorized boat, promote the effort on social media or donate to support the initiative. To register a cleanup event or find local opportunities to participate, click here. Keep Louisiana Beautiful will provide supply boxes for the first 200 groups to register.

"We know that 80 percent of marine litter starts on land," Russell said. "Litter blows into our waterways, causing pollution and killing fish and wildlife."

Participants will help monitor this impact by collecting litter data. They will document the types of debris removed and identify larger abandoned items. That information will be shared with partner agencies to support future removal efforts.

"It's time to prioritize our waterways and ensure that our Sportsman's Paradise is clean and beautiful for future generations," Russell said.