River Ambassadors are Stationed at a River Crossing Near You!

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River Ambassadors Katie and Hope and River Captain Ali are enjoying their first day on the River

The River Ambassador program launched June 22nd with a fun-filled day at Highway 49 crossing with children and adults having a ball playing games and learning about how to be good stewards of the Yuba watershed.  SYRCL’s mascot, Flo, even made an appearance sharing the story of Yuba fish with the community.

River Ambassadors are trained volunteers who speak face-to-face with Yuba visitors about stewardship.  The four main topics covered by River Ambassadors are the importance of packing out all trash and dog waste, the dangers of glass and the catastrophic potential of wildfire in the Yuba canyons. 

From June 22nd and culminating at the Greater Yuba River Cleanup and Restoration Day on September 21st, you will see River Ambassadors at the four popular crossings of the Yuba River (Highway 49, Bridgeport, Edwards and Purdon) educating and inspiring the community. 

“I am very proud of our River Ambassador team,” said Andrew Collins-Anderson, SYRCL’s Stewardship Coordinator and River Ambassador program manager.  “The team members are such passionate and inspiring individuals who care deeply about the health of the Yuba.  ”

River Ambassador Program is off to a Productive Start

Last year, River Ambassadors educated nearly 3,000 people and removed 1,860 pieces of

SYRCL's mascot Flo is having fun with river kids at Highway 49 Crossing

trash and dog waste during the summer.  This summer, we have a goal of educating 5,000 people. The River Ambassadors are already making a difference on the River: in just four days, the River Ambassadors spoke with 447 people and removed 453 pieces of trash and dog waste from the Yuba.  While our primary focus for the program is to educate and empower visitors to take personal responsibility for keeping the river healthy, clean and safe, the River Ambassadors do not shy away from picking up trash when they see it.

What you can do to become an Excellent Steward of the Yuba

The River Ambassadors would like to remind the community to practice responsible recreation by following a couple simple rules-of-thumb.  First, ‘pack it in, pack it out’ is one of the mantras of the program.  Please, pack out all of your trash, food and dog waste from the river.  When left at the river, trash and dog waste have a negative impact on water quality, wildlife, forest and human health.  We are so inspired by many of the visitors who go the extra mile and pack out more trash than they brought.  Also, please remember that this summer we are experiencing severe fire danger in Northern California.  All fires and open flames are illegal on the Yuba River.  It will take a conscious effort by all to prevent a fire from severely degrading our beloved park and river.

Thank you from the River Ambassadors

The River Ambassador team would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the South Yuba River State Park.  The rangers led by Don Schmidt have been doing an outstanding job in their support of the program and ensuring that the Yuba is a safe place to recreate this summer.

We would also like to recognize Earth Rated PoopBags for their generous donation of 7,200 poop bags and 240 dispensers.  These bags will help dog owners remember to pack out their dog waste.

There would be no River Ambassador program without the 28 dedicated volunteer River Ambassadors.  SYRCL salutes all of our volunteers for taking time out of your busy lives to protect the Yuba.

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

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