The 30^th Annual SLV River & Road Clean Up was both successful and unusual. For the first time, the number of children working to remove trash and recyclables from along the waterways outnumbered adults! More family groups and over 30 Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts (including Troop 604, and Pack 654 in Felton and Pack 623 in Boulder Creek) made the difference. This showed in the weight and types of materials, like 12 zip-lock bags packed with cigarette butts and fewer large items brought in to the sign-in/weigh-in stations. Even so, messy mountains of junk were accumulated along roadsides for pick-up by volunteers and by the dedicated County Public Works’ and SLV Water District’s truck drivers.

Jenn Mount, cleaning the lower stream part of Zayante Creek.

The cleanliness of the creek-bed is so important, since the creek is the most important steelhead creek in the San Lorenzo basin.

We need to make sure that the Zayante Creek remains free flowing and clean for the health of the fish and the surrounding environment.

Happy Matt hops to it at the RECYCLING OLYMPICS at the Felton Covered Bridge Park.

Riley and Kai earned their Community Service hours for school by taking part in the River & Road Clean Up in Boulder Creek. Bonus: finding a cool lamp (that we hope still works)! Thanks, guys!

Tess and Carla with their recycling and trash haul from Boulder Creek during the River & Road Clean Up. Thanks so much! You're awesome!

Jazmine, a newcomer to the Valley and Boulder Creek, jumped right in to support her new community in cleaning up the river & roads. She's obviously displeased at the amount of cigarette butts she's picked up...

...but she's smiling knowing she's kept them from finding their way into our rivers and oceans! Thank you, Jazmine, and welcome to the Valley!

Our fearless leader of the River & Road Clean Up, Nancy B. Macy, and VWC Environmental Committee member, Dominque.

Man vs. Garbage. That would be Boulder Creek's Dustin Cochran who shows up EVERY year at the River & Road Clean Up with record amounts of garbage and recycling.

Dustin takes pride in his community and neighborhood and is saddened by the amount of garbage dumped on the road he drives every day.

All of this pictured was collected on Bear Creek Road between Hwy 9 and Hopkins Gulch. This year's haul: 532 lbs. of garbage and 38 lbs. of recycling!

Cigarette butts collected this morning in Boulder Creek during the River & Road Clean Up.

Boulder Creek's River & Road Clean Up's most unusual find? 127 lbs. of PVC pipe filled with marijuana hauled in by Jerry Delaney, Roger Wapner and Keith Emmons.

Brian, Scott and Dad McIvor... Lots of trash plus a small mountain of small liquor bottles found at the River & Road Clean Up in Felton. Thanks, guys!

Audie Adams worked several hours at the River & Road Clean Up and brought in several bags of trash.

He wanted to get the sleeping bag, suitcase and tarp from the River at Ben Lomond Park but they were inaccessible.

Boy Scout Troup 604 and their big haul off of Zayante trail in Felton!

A total of 146 volunteers, ranging in age from pre-school to 90-plus, participated in the Clean-up. The event has been organized by The Valley Women’s Club since 1986, partnering with Save Our Shores for the past eight years. Over 4200 pounds of trash, plus over 1000 pounds of recyclable materials were retrieved, that otherwise would have contaminated the River and its wildlife on the way to the Bay. A 30^th anniversary celebration also took place at the Covered Bridge Park, with fresh popcorn (thanks to the Felton Fire popcorn machine) and relay races.

Read the Press Banner article!

Special kudos go out to the leaders of Troop 604 and Packs 654 and 623, along with the many caring parents who want their children to care for and take responsibility for the health of their watershed. Other adults like Dustin Cochran (who has brought in huge truck-loads of trash from along Bear Creek Rd. for many years), and to Jen Mount and the team of Allison and Natalie, who hand-hauled hundreds of pounds of materials from along Zayante Creek.

Several dozen photos of the event, featuring many of the volunteers, and some remarkably awful trash, are posted on the Valley Women’s Club’s Facebook page and give a real feel for the event! (Those of you with photos to share may send them to info@laurelb14.sg-host.com.)

Each resident of the San Lorenzo Valley can help make every day River & Road Clean Up Day by removing the trash from along their road frontage or from the pull-outs along Hwy 9 and other major roads. Don’t wait for a year to help protect your waterways and their wildlife from the impacts of cigarette butts, plastics and other debris’ contamination. It’s everyone’s job!