Helicopter Hauls 1,500 Pounds of Trash from The Yuba River

Last September, SYRCL and California State Parks partnered to dismantle an illegal mining camp on the banks of the South Yuba River as part of the Yuba River Cleanup. Twelve SYRCL volunteers, concerned local residents, and State Park Rangers collected an estimated 1,500 pounds of refuse left behind at an abandoned encampment near Jones Bar.

Volunteers and park personnel spent September 19th compiling vast amounts of trash, but were faced with the logistical feat of removing so much garbage from the steep and uneven terrain. The items collected in September included kitchen equipment and waste, discarded sleeping bags, mining tools, gas and oil containers, damaged vinyl rafts and many yards of polyethylene sheeting. With the help of the California Highway Patrol, California State Parks, and SYRCL the trash, once sitting at high water level mark of the South Yuba River, was helicoptered out of the canyon on November 20th.

More than 750 volunteers from around the community took part in the 19th Annual Yuba River Cleanup ultimately removing more than 14,000 pounds of trash in one day. The Cleanup is an annual event that takes place the third Saturday in September. Each year SYRCL coordinates the Cleanup in conjunction with the California Coastal Commission, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and the Great Sierra River Cleanup.