Keeping a Clean Yuba Watershed

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Gas cans, fire hose, work boots at dump site in Tahoe National Forest

Each September, SYRCL and a community of over 800 volunteers gather for a single day to cleanup tons of unsightly trash and recycling left on the river banks in the Yuba watershed. This year, the 22nd Annual Yuba River Cleanup will be held on September 21st from 9am-1pm, followed by SYRCL’s Volunteer Appreciation Party at Pioneer Park that includes FREE lunch and music for volunteers.

Discarded tires

Since early June, SYRCL has been scouting sites across the watershed. So far, we’ve identified 35 sites for the Cleanup this year. We have found trash left by visitors, illegal dumps and abandoned homeless camps. Trash can include anything from car doors, tires, and glass bottles to cigarette butts, towels and beer cans. No matter how or who ‘packed in’ we can all lend a hand to help ‘pack it out’.

“Being a part of the Yuba River Cleanup allows local citizens to have an impact on their favorite spot in the watershed,” says Daniel Belshe, SYRCL’s Community Engagement Manager. “Each of us has our secret spot at the river and we love to see ‘our spot’ kept pristine. We also love to help reduce the human footprint on the river, by removing trash before it enters the river we keep our river ecosystems healthy from the Sierra all the way to the sea.”

SYRCL Restoration Coordinator, Cody Wasuta removes Scotchbroom

Removing Invasive Plants

In addition to removing litter, the 22nd Annual Yuba River Cleanup is cleaning up sites with invasive plants that increase forest fire fuels and choke out beneficial native plants. Volunteers can help remove invasive plants from sites along the South Yuba River at Bridgeport, Edwards Crossing and Washington with the help of SYRCL, Tahoe National Forest, State Parks and Bureau of Land Management. Historically, volunteer teams remove highly invasive plants such as English ivy, Scotchbroom and Himalayan blackberry.

Join SYRCL for the 22nd Annual Yuba River Cleanup
Saturday, September 21, 2019

Troubled by trash? Know areas in our watershed needing a cleanup? Let us know.

Contact Daniel Belshe, Community Engagement Manager at daniel@yubariver.org or 530-265-2961 ext 201.

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