Known by the locals as 'Little Pond', this popular swimming spot is visited by thousands every year. "It is used for cookouts, by swimmers, fisherman, kayakers and for the last ten years it has become a training site for open water dive classes," explains Hoagland.

Hoagland learnt to dive in 1989 and it's become one of his greatest loves and passions. Yet it's the annual 'Little Pond' cleanup that has made Hoagland a household name in the area.

Every year, for the past eighteen years, he has organized the cleanup event and coordinated the dive. He's continued to attract divers year on year and of all ages - the youngest was in his teens and the oldest in his 70's.  

"I want to set a good example for other divers by doing the right thing and helping cleanup a small part of Mother Earth."

And his efforts are certainly making an impact. "There are more schools of fish and even more turtles seen these days in the pond.  The amount of debris that we bring up each year has decreased from 300 pounds of bottles and cans that we brought up eighteen years ago to less than 50 pounds of debris in the last few cleanups," Hoagland adds.

"I have the same hope for all bodies of water...that more people take the action needed to become better stewards of our environment and our planet. We need to help cleanup the mess that we are making of it!"

This year Hoagland will complete his nineteenth consecutive annual cleanup. We can't wait celebrate his twenty year milestone next year.