Volunteers will arrive Saturday, Sept. 23, armed with gloves, bags and a few hours of their time to help curb pollution of the ocean.
But California Coastal Cleanup Day, now in its 39th year, happens not just at the shoreline – efforts extend far inland to include parks, creeks, lakes and rivers, places where rains can flush trash down to the ocean.
The annual effort is timed ahead of winter storms, a chance to capture the trash before it makes it to beaches and the ocean, where it harms wildlife and the marine environment.
“This year is gong to be super important, as we prepare for another wet winter ahead of us,” said Matt Sylvester, communications director for Orange County Coastkeepers, which helps coordinate efforts for more than 30 sites both on the coast and inland. “It should prevent trash from getting to our beaches and coastlines and estuaries.”
Coastkeepers is coordinating cleanups as far inland as Martha McLean Park in Riverside to catch trash before it can be washed to the shore. Santa Monica-based Heal the Bay has volunteers organized as far inland as Pasadena.
More than 700 cleanups in nearly every county of the state are planned – the day is touted as the state’s largest annual volunteer event.
“For generations, Californians have demonstrated their love and dedication to our coast during Coastal Cleanup Day,” California Coastal Commission Executive Director Kate Huckelbridge said in a statement. “The Coastal Commission is incredibly proud to provide an outlet for all Californians to express that dedication each year. We see how devoting only a few hours on a Saturday in September translates into a year-round commitment to the protection and preservation of our coast. We are grateful to all who share in this goal.”
The Coastal Cleanup Day program is part of the commission’s effort to raise public awareness of marine and coastal resources and promote coastal stewardship throughout the state.
During the pandemic,…
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