Volunteers flocked to beaches and riverbanks, teaming up to collect a wide variety of garbage that would otherwise remain in the rivers, lakes, and streams. Some of the more interesting items removed during this year’s cleanup include a rubber duckydressed as a hockey player, a master cylinder for a 1933 truck, a Barbie doll arm, a Bullwinkle Moose stuffed animal, and Christmas tree lights.“The Sierra Nevada region provides more than 60% of California’s developed water supply, and is the primary source of water flowing in to the Delta,” said SNC Assistant Executive Officer, Joan Keegan. “Every piece of trash our volunteers remove helps to keep California’s water clean.”
This year sixteen members of the Assembly and Senate showed their support for a clean water source by signing up as co-chairs of the event. These elected officials represent communities in the Central Valley, the Delta, the coast, and the mountains, all of whom rely on the Sierra Nevada for portions of their water supply.
Senators
• Ted Gaines (R – Rocklin)
• Fran Pavley (D – Agoura Hills)
• Ellen Corbett (D—Pleasanton, Alameda, Fremont)
• Jim Nielsen (R—Redding, Yuba City)
Assembly Members
• Luis Alejo (D-Salinas)
• Connie Conway (R – Tulare)
• Beth Gaines (R – Roseville)
Richard Gordon (D – Menlo Park)
• Adam Gray (D – Merced)
• Jim Patterson (R – Fresno)
• Henry Perea (D – Fresno)
• Ken Cooley (D – Rancho Cordova)
• Joan Buchanan (D—Livermore)
• Richard Pan (D—Elk Grove)
• Rob Bonta (D—Oakland)
• Susan Talamantes-Eggman (D—Stockton)
• Tom Ammiano (D—San Francisco)
The Great Sierra River Cleanup combines with the annual Coastal Cleanup Day each year to become the largest single-day volunteer event in California. This partnership serves to promote good stewardship of all of our watersheds, from the source to the sea.
The Great Sierra River Cleanup would not be possible without the hard work of thousands of volunteers, dozens of local community groups, and the following supporters: the California Coastal Commission, the California Conservation Corps, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Camp-California, California Ski Industry Association, YubaNet.com, SMUD, Sierra Pacific Industries, Sierra Heritage Magazine, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Adventure Sports Journal.
About the Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Created in 2004, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) is a state agency whose mission is to improve the environmental, economic, and social well-being of the Sierra Nevada Region. The SNC has awarded over $50 million in grants for projects to protect and enhance the health of California’s primary watersheds by improving forest health, remediating mercury contamination from abandoned mines, protecting critical natural resources and reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Funding for these projects comes from Proposition 84 passed by voters in 2006.
The Sierra Nevada Region spans 25 million acres, encompasses all or part of 22 counties, and runs from the Oregon border on the north, to Kern County on the south.
