- Young volunteers and community members join clean water nonprofit to pick up trash
- Orange County Coastkeeper to collect data on debris for education efforts
WHAT: Dozens of Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and community members will get their shoes dirty to clean up Irvine Regional Park to remove trash before it gets to the ocean. The young volunteers will work alongside Orange County Coastkeeper staff with gloves and trash grabbers to remove debris from the dry creek bed before rains wash it into the ocean. Coastkeeper will track what they collect along the way and use the data to promote best practices for reducing litter in local rivers.
WHY: Creek cleanups are especially important for Orange County’s water quality because streams and flood control channels drain with the winter rains into the region’s bays and ocean. Between 60-80 percent of marine debris comes from inland sources. These Scouts and community members will learn firsthand how inland water pollution has a direct effect on the ocean’s health. In addition, Coastkeeper will use data from the day’s cleanup to evaluate community cleanup effectiveness and promote best practices for the public to reduce the trash in our waters.
WHO:
- 50 Girls Scouts, Boy Scouts and local volunteers walking through trees and bushes next to the creek and removing trash
- Orange County Coastkeeper staff compiling data on bags of debris
- Irvine Ranch Conservancy
LOCATION AND PARKING:
- Irvine Regional Park
- 1 Irvine Park Rd, Orange, CA 92869
- Parking in Lot 15
WHEN:
- Sunday, June 10, 9 a.m. – noon
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ORANGE COUNTY COASTKEEPER: Founded in 1999, the mission of Coastkeeper is to protect and promote sustainable water resources that are swimmable, drinkable, and fishable. Coastkeeper is a nonprofit clean water organization that serves as a proactive steward of our fresh- and saltwater ecosystems. We work collaboratively with diverse groups in the public and private sectors to achieve healthy, accessible, and sustainable water resources for the region. We implement innovative, effective programs in education, advocacy, restoration, research, enforcement, and conservation. For more information, visit www.coastkeeper.org or call 714-850-1965.
