SYRCL Seeks Volunteer River Ambassadors and Event Participants

Proud Yuba visitors packing out trash!

The River Ambassador Program Announces Several Summer Events

June 22^nd: Kickoff Party at Highway 49 Crossing (old bridge) from 10am to 5pm

June 29^th: Photography Class on the Yuba with John Daly

July 14^th: First Annual- Art at the Yuba with Jeanine Christman

August 15^th: River Ambassador Restoration Day

To Register: Contact Andrew Collins-Anderson SYRCL’s AmeriCorps Stewardship Coordinator- andrew@syrcl.org or (530) 265-5961 ext. 209

-Visit the River Ambassador events page to learn more.

What is a River Ambassador?
Is the South Yuba River one of your favorite summer getaways? Have you noticed garbage on your favorite beaches? SYRCL developed the River Ambassador program to creatively solve the problems of trash, glass, dog waste, and the catastrophic potential for wildfire in the South Yuba River canyon. River Ambassadors utilize one-on-one conversations with visitors to encourage them to participate in keeping the river healthy, clean and safe. Volunteer to become a River Ambassador to protect the Yuba and unite the community!

SYRCL deeply appreciates the California State Parks Foundation’s generous and continued support of the River Ambassador program.

An Expanding Program
This summer, SYRCL is expanding our successful River Ambassador program to all four major Yuba River crossings.

Hwy 49
Bridgeport
Edwards Crossing
Purdon Crossing

In 2012, fifteen River Ambassadors and three River Captains spent 642 hours on the South Yuba River and educated 2,738 State Park visitors while removing 1,860 pieces of trash and dog waste. In 2013, SYRCL is poised to double the River Ambassador’s effective stewardship education and advocacy. SYRCL is piloting the Youth River Ambassador program to provide high school students with experiential outdoor education on the River. The River Ambassador program will host several exciting and educational events on the River to provide folks with opportunities to appreciate and restore the Yuba.

Garbage dump found on the Yuba

Volunteer Opportunity:
Requirements and Benefits

Commit to three to five weekend (Saturday or Sunday) shifts between June 22nd and September 21st, at your favorite river crossings (49, Bridgeport, Edwards or Purdon).
Spend three hours each shift walking the beaches and trails and staffing an informational booth to speak face-to-face with visitors.
Have fun interacting with the public while enjoying the beautiful river.
Participate in our River Ambassador Training on June 1st from 9:00am to 1:00pm.
Volunteer 50 hours and receive a free day use pass for all CA State Parks in the Sierra District.
Click here for Application form.

The Problem
Over half of the river corridor is public land, managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). State Parks has experienced severe budget cuts in recent years resulting in services being drastically reduced. With over 450,000 people visiting the South Yuba River State Park every summer and with the thousands of pounds of trash removed during SYRCL’s annual Greater Yuba River Cleanup, this program was developed in order to prevent the South Yuba River from being “loved to death.”

Meghan Oats one of of the outstanding 2012 River Ambassadors

The Solution
River Ambassadors are people taking action to motivate and educate the community to care for the South Yuba River! This program is a new and innovative model for stewardship education and watershed protection.

Partners and Supporters
To all the wonderful community members and volunteers, thank you for making this program a success! SYRCL deeply appreciates the California State Parks Foundation’s generous and continued support of SYRCL’s River Ambassador program. SYRCL is grateful to California State Parks for their help in creating and facilitating this program, and the South Yuba River Park Association for their support.

2012 River Ambassador Program Summary

In total, the River Captains and Ambassadors:

Held face-to-face contact with 2,738 South Yuba River State Park visitors about stewardship

Collected 1,032 pieces of trash, including 549 cigarette butts, 162 food wrappers, and 33 glass containers

Removed 828 piles of dog waste

Spent 642 hours on the river over 12 weekends between July 4^th and September 15^th

In 2012, to move towards the goal of sustained river stewardship, SYRCL trained fifteen volunteer River Ambassadors and hired three River Captains to promote an ethic of responsible, non-polluting use of the Yuba. By talking face-to-face to visitors at river crossings, at beaches and on trails, the River Ambassadors inspired visitors to take personal actions to protect and preserve the Yuba River by “packing out” their trash and dog waste, not bringing glass to the river, and preventing wild fires.

SYRCL staff recruited, trained, and supervised the volunteer River Ambassadors at Purdon and 49 crossings, two of the most heavily used stretches on the Yuba, every weekend from July 4th to September 15, 2012.