Step Up and Lend a Hand on September 17 to Clean Up the Waters of Mendocino County

The following is a press release issued by the Mendocino Land Trust:

Mendocino County residents and visitors are invited to join the Mendocino Land Trust and partnering organizations for Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, September 17. Participants can choose from 17 sites where organizers will equip them with supplies, data cards and directions about how they can help with this statewide effort.

Visit mendocinolandtrust.org for details about each of the Mendocino County sites or visit coastalcleanupday.org to view an interactive map of sites all over California. 

In 2021, 287 Mendocino County volunteers removed 3,667 pounds of trash and recyclables from local creeks, rivers and beaches! We are looking forward to another successful cleanup this year – but it depends on the community showing up to help!

Coastal Cleanup Day is a statewide event organized by the California Coastal Commission. It has been held yearly since 1985. In 1993, California Coastal Cleanup Day was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “largest garbage collection” ever organized, with 50,405 volunteers, according to the Coastal Commission.

The Mendocino Land Trust has been the Mendocino County Coordinator of this important event since 2002. “The last few years have made time spent outdoors even more precious,” says Megan Smithyman, Mendocino Land Trust board member. “Maybe we can’t gather together like we used to, but we can all be outside, making sure we keep our beaches and rivers clean.”

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DIY cleanups in neighborhoods are strongly encouraged, especially for those who want to help but prefer to avoid groups at this time. Trash and litter in neighborhoods and city streets has a high likelihood of making it into waterways and oceans if it is not removed. When it rains, trash is washed down storm drains that feed into creeks and rivers. As the water flows to the ocean, it can bring our trash with it. Inland trash removal is key to keeping our coasts and beaches clean and improving the health of all waterways. Those who do DIY cleanups are encouraged to document their efforts by downloading and using the CleanSwell App or submitting a data card, available at coastalcleanupday.org.

A “complaint” from participants at some beaches is that there is not enough trash to pick up. It is important to remember that even when few items of litter are found, documenting the scarcity of trash is an important and quantifiable measure of the community’s successes in curtailing litter year round.

In addition to the 17 groups seeking volunteers, three schools host their own beach cleanups in honor of Coastal Cleanup Day. Fort Bragg Middle School scours Pudding Creek Beach to remove litter big and small. Pacific Community Charter School (based in Point Arena) will take on Moat Creek Beach, the Stornetta Lands and more. Teacher Erin Brazill and Transition Learning Center (TLC) students from Fort Bragg Unified School District will be cleaning up the Westport beaches. 

Visit tinyurl.com/CoastalCleanMendo for all the details about Coastal Cleanup Day and use the form to request an email reminder about the event with info about each Mendocino County cleanup site. The Mendocino Land Trust would like to extend big thanks to MendoRecycle for providing a grant to help cover staff time spent coordinating this event and Redwood Waste Solutions for facilitating dumpster donation.

List of Mendocino County Cleanup Sites for Saturday, September 17, 2022 

Unless otherwise noted, no RSVP is needed – just show up the day of the event ready to help! Site captains will be able to provide supplies, but if you can bring a bucket, trash grabber or gloves this helps cut down on the amount of waste generated by the event. 

• Seaside Beach Cleanup 9 am – 12 pm hosted by Mendocino Land Trust
• MacKerricher Beach at Ward Avenue 9 am – 12 pm hosted by Surfriders
• Virgin Creek Beach 9 am – 11 am hosted by North Coast Brewing Company (meet at the brewery at 8:30 am to bike or carpool to the beach!)
• Glass Beach Cleanup 9am – 12 pm hosted by City of Fort Bragg
• Noyo Headlands Park 9:30 am – 12 pm hosted by Latino Outdoors North Coast Chapter
• Noyo River Boating Cleanup 9 am – 12 pm hosted by Liquid Fusion Kayaking (We launch from the ramp at Dolphin Isle Marina at 9am. Please call ahead if you would like to rent a kayak)
• Noyo Harbor Beach Cleanup 9 am – 12 pm hosted by the Noyo Center.
• Hare Creek Beach 9 am – 12 pm hosted by Mendocino Land Trust (We will meet in the college parking lot)
• Caspar Beach 9 am – 12 pm hosted by Coastal Mendocino Association of Realtors
• Big River Beach 10 am – 12 pm hosted by MendoParks and the Mendocino Mermaids
• Navarro Beach 9 am – 12 pm hosted by Golden Brands of Ukiah
• Point Arena Cove 9 am – 12 pm hosted by City of Point Arena
• Cooks Beach 9 am – 11 am hosted by Redwood Coast Land Conservancy. Please RSVP by visiting rclc.org
• Russian River cleanups in the Ukiah Valley 8:30 am – 12 pm. Hosted by Mendocino County Resource Conservation District. Meet at Low Gap park in Ukiah for coffee and sign-in and select from several cleanup site. Please register at https://tinyurl.com/UkiahCleanup or email deborah.edelman@mcrcd.org.

Busy on Saturday? Two other cleanups to choose from! 

• FRIDAY Sept 16 9 am – 11 am Mill Bend Cleanup hosted by Redwood Coast Land Conservancy. Please RSVP by visiting rclc.org. Group will meet at the CalTrans pullout on the west side of Hwy 1 just south of the Vue restaurant
• MONDAY Sept 18 10 am – 11:30 am at Van Damme Beach hosted by Little River Environmental Action Group

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