How to resolve AdBlock issue? Editor’s note: This story has been updated regarding the decision to drop the Kelseyville and Middletown sites. There is also new information on how to sign up for the local event.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Community members are invited to join the effort to keep the county’s waterways clean.
Lake County will once again participate in the California Coastal Clean-Up Day, which takes place from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 20.
More than 50 California state parks and the Division of Boating and Waterways will participate in the event in coordination with the California Coastal Commission.
This year marks the 41st annual cleanup event, which is California’s largest annual volunteer event.
Organized by the California Coastal Commission, more than 45,000 volunteers are expected to gather at 700 locations throughout the state, including beaches and shorelines.
But the event is not limited to coastal regions; there are cleanups along inland waterways as well, including in Lake County.
New this year, California Coastal Cleanup Day will become the world's largest scavenger hunt. Special "trashure" items will be hidden at cleanup sites across the state. Volunteers finding one of these items can redeem them for valuable prizes.
In Lake County, cleanup sites are:
• Highland Springs Recreational Area, Lakeport;
• Library Park, Lakeport;
• Rodman Slough at the Nice/Lucerne Cutoff;
• Habematolel EPA Department, Upper Lake;
• Lucerne Harbor;
• Austin Park, Clearlake.
Linda Rosas-Bill of Lake County Water Resources said anyone wanting to volunteer can head to the site of their choice, sign a liability waiver and start helping.
Following the cleanup, there will be an appreciation barbecue for the Coastal Clean-Up volunteers at Highland Springs Recreational Area from noon to 2 p.m. Captains will have a ticket for volunteers at their sites.
All volunteers’ names will be added to a drawing for a chance to win a prize. The winner will be announced Friday, Sept. 26.
For more information on the Lake County cleanup, reach out to Linda Rosas-Bill at
California’s event is also part of the International Coastal Cleanup organized by the Ocean Conservancy.
Last year, more than 47,000 volunteers removed over 400,000 pounds, or 200 tons, of trash and recyclables from our waterways, beaches and lakes.
In addition to individual volunteers, 40 boating facilities and groups participated with 1,391 volunteers collecting 9,745 pounds of trash and recyclables on land and from 95 kayaks, canoes and dinghies.
The event also provides hands-on educational experiences about the damage that trash, especially single-use disposable plastics, can cause to California’s wildlife, economy and human health.
According to past cleanup data, 75 percent of the debris volunteers remove is composed of plastic, a material that never completely biodegrades and has numerous harmful consequences in the environment. Plastic debris can kill wildlife, leach toxins into the environment and introduce them into the food chain.
To join this statewide effort, the California Coastal Commission has an interactive map of cleanup locations throughout the state, available here. Volunteers can check the website for updates and share their cleanup experiences on social media using the hashtag #coastalcleanupday.
