SYRCL held its 29th Annual Yuba River Cleanup on Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 9:00 AM to noon. We want to thank the 621 volunteers who donated their time and energy to help remove trash from 25 sites spanning nearly 40 miles of rivers, streams, and creeks throughout the Yuba watershed. And a special thank you to our Sponsors and also the Site Captains whose preparation and dedication made a watershed-wide event of this scale possible. 

The numbers from this year’s cleanup are extraordinary. Volunteers collectively removed over 10,000 pounds of trash, 977 pounds of recycling, and an astonishing 25,007 pieces of micro-trash — the cigarette butts, plastic fragments, broken glass, and tiny bits of waste that do the quietest, most insidious damage to a river ecosystem and its wildlife. Year over year, SYRCL and our volunteers have made the case that micro-trash matters. This year’s haul proves it. 

Bridgeport photos by Lazy Fox Photography

The Finds: What the Watershed Was Holding 

Every cleanup tells a story through what it turns up, and the 2026 cleanup did not disappoint. 

At Jones Bar, volunteer Max Ferguson found a bike seat and promptly handed it to a passing cyclist. Someone found a golf trophy from Seville, Spain at Sugarloaf Trail — a long way from home. At Wolf Creek on Idaho-Maryland Road, volunteers uncovered a brand-new carry-on suitcase and 23 large canisters (750g each) of nitrous oxide. At Pioneer Trail/Harmony Ridge, a working laptop was recovered from the brush. Even a gold mining pan and a sluice box turned up, fitting artifacts for a river shaped by the Gold Rush. The river, as always, keeps its own archive. 

Purdon Crossing photos by Cherlyn Wagner

And the Winners Are… 

The Volunteer Appreciation Party at Condon Park in Grass Valley included SYRCL’s annual cleanup awards — a beloved tradition recognizing the most memorable finds of the day: 

• Most Reusable Item: Kristine Kelvin, for a shopping cart — which was promptly returned to the store from whence it came. 
• Most Unusual: Josh Dwyer, for a cassette tape labeled “Josh’s 1983 B-day Mix Tape” — which was emphatically not his. 
• Most Micro-Trash: E & J Woods, for collecting an impressive 400 pieces of micro-trash at their site. 

Jones Bar photos by John Pettitt

The Party 

After a morning on the riverbank, volunteers gathered at Condon Park in Grass Valley for a free appreciation meal and community celebration. A huge thank you to Wild Fork Food Truck for feeding the crowd with their delicious food, and to Highland Cookie Company for their generous donation of incredibly sumptuous cookies. You fueled a watershed. 

49 Crossing photos by Briona Reynolds

Getting Ahead of the Piles 

The Annual Yuba River Cleanup is the culmination of SYRCL’s river stewardship efforts throughout the season, which relies on our River Ambassador program in partnership with California State Parks, as well as coordinated river safety messaging as part of the South Yuba River Public Safety Cohort with Nevada County. This season, River Ambassadors actively stewarded the landscape throughout the season, removing: 3,417 pieces of trash,155 pieces of recycling, 344 pieces of glass, 519 cigarette butts, 66 piles of dog waste  

The mini cleanups SYRCL coordinated at Oregon Creek, Bridgeport, and Highway 49 earlier this summer removed over 400 pieces of litter, 30 piles of dog waste, and hundreds of pounds of waste — a preview of what September 19th would deliver at scale. 

“What this community accomplished on September 19th is a testament to what people can do when they show up for a place they love,” said Dr. Aaron Zettler-Mann, SYRCL’s Executive Director. “Over 10,000 pounds of trash. Over 25,000 pieces of micro-trash. Nearly 40 miles of watershed covered. Every one of those numbers represents a volunteer who chose to spend their Saturday morning giving something back to this river. We are deeply grateful.” 

All in all, the Yuba River watershed is measurably cleaner and healthier because of the enormous outpouring of time, energy, and care from this community. SYRCL is proud to have led the 29th Annual Yuba River Cleanup and grateful to every volunteer, site leader, sponsor, and partner who made it possible. 

Looking for other ways to get involved? Check out our volunteer opportunities HERE. 

Thank you to our generous Cleanup Sponsors