Volunteers Needed for the Tenth Annual Great Sierra River Cleanup

Auburn September 4, 2018 – Help celebrate ten years of conserving Sierra Nevada rivers! On September 15, from 9 am to noon, volunteers from across the state can join together to remove trash from the waterways of the Sierra Nevada region for the tenth annual Great Sierra River Cleanup. This event, coordinated by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy in partnership with dozens of local community groups throughout the Sierra, focuses on keeping Sierra rivers clean and promoting community stewardship. The Sierra Nevada Region is the source of more than 60 percent of California’s developed water supply which is why we are so dedicated to ensuring the health of Sierra Nevada rivers and the cleanliness of our state’s water.

The Great Sierra River Cleanup, in conjunction with California Coastal Cleanup Day, kicks off the Sierra Nevada Watershed Protection Week which was established in 2015 (ACR 22, Dahle) to highlight the importance of the Sierra Nevada region to the entire state, not only in terms of clean water, but also for the millions of visitors that travel to the Sierra to hike, camp, and sightsee. Whether you think of Tahoe, Yosemite, Mammoth, or the Giant Sequoias, the Sierra connects us all.

“The Sierra Nevada is a diverse region that draws millions of people to its beautiful vistas and recreation opportunities,” says Jim Branham, Executive Officer for the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. “Just a few hours of stewardship can greatly improve the quality of our rivers and every community and habitat downstream, from the source all the way to the sea.”

Over the last nine years, volunteers have pulled over one million pounds of trash and recyclables from more than 2,900 river miles in the Sierra Nevada watersheds. The effort serves to promote good stewardship throughout the state’s watersheds, from Sierra 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. Can the Sierra count on you?

To sign up and learn more, volunteers can visit www.sierranevada.ca.gov. For more information, visit the Great Sierra River Cleanup Facebook page.

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 nearly $68 million in grants for projects that 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 and Proposition 1 passed by voters in 2014.

The Sierra Nevada Region spans 25 million acres, encompasses all or part of 22 counties, and runs from the Oregon border in the north to Kern County in the south. The Region is the origin of more than 60 percent of California’s developed water supply.