in past years might disagree. On September 19, from 9 am to noon, volunteers can join more than fifty community groups to remove trash from rivers and lakes throughout the Sierra Nevada region. This event, coordinated by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, focuses on keeping our rivers clean and promoting community stewardship in the region that provides the majority of California’s drinking water, supports important wildlife habitat, and is a world-renowned recreation destination. “Investing just a few hours can have lasting impacts on the health of the region that provides more than sixty percent of California’s developed water supply,” says Jim Branham, Executive Officer for the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. “With the current drought, it’s even more important that we do all we can to protect and restore our watersheds.”
To sign up, volunteers can visit www.sierranevada.ca.gov to find a cleanup near them. This event is fun for all ages and there are a number of family-friendly cleanups identified on the website. New this year is a ‘Most Unusual Item’ contest, sponsored by the California Conservation Corps with prizes donated by Mountainsmith and Danner Boots. To enter the contest, volunteers should register for a cleanup and report their most unusual item found to their cleanup site captain by 1:00 pm on Saturday, September 19. For more information, visit the Great Sierra River Cleanup Facebook page.
Over the last six years, volunteers have joined together to pull more than 700 tons of trash and recyclables from watersheds in the Sierra Nevada. The effort, in partnership with the California Coastal Cleanup Day, serves to promote good stewardship throughout the state’s 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 our supporters at the California Coastal Commission, the California Conservation Corps, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Sierra Pacific Industries, Pacific Gas & Electric, Mountainsmith, and Danner Boots.
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 came 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. The Region is the origin of more than 60 percent of California’s developed water supply.
Source: Sierra Nevada Conservancy
