Editorial: Coast & River cleanup can turn the tide on litter, debris

We tend to be a lot more proud of things we clean up than the
messes we leave behind. Thousands of volunteers will take great
pride over the next two weekends in cleaning up the regular messes
left behind along the county¹s beaches, creeks and the Russian
River.
The annual coast and river cleanup events ‹ which take place the
next two weekends ‹ are a testament to the power of positive
action. On Sept. 16, you have the chance to be among the 1,500
volunteers expected to take part in the annual Sonoma County Coast
& Creek Cleanup Day. If you¹re busy that day, not to worry, you
have another chance. The Russian River Watershed Cleanup Day is
Sept. 23 and you can join the estimated 400 volunteers who will
patrol the river¹s banks and beaches by foot and by canoe.
These two events are more than feel-good outings for the
dedicated environmental crowd. There is some serious trash
collecting and recycling involved and the volunteers who spend a
few hours really make a difference.
Last year coast and creek cleanup crews collected 11,461 pounds
of trash, 7,000 pounds of recyclable material and three tons of
scrap metal.
River cleanup volunteers last year took out about 14,000 pounds
of trash and debris and 200 tires.
³The reason we keep going is if we skipped a year there would be
28,000 pounds of trash and debris and it would just keep
accumulating,² said Debora Fudge, the Windsor Town Council member
who has been one of the river cleanup organizers for the past 16
years.
There are many good reasons to keep our beaches and rivers
clean. Garbage and debris are bad for the environment, bad for
animals and just plain ugly. Nothing spoils a trip to the beach
like coming upon a pile of trash.
Most prolific among the trash that clutters our beaches are
cigarette butts, which are not only unsightly but cause great harm
in the oceans. The plastic filters break down and resemble
phytoplankton and are ingested by unwitting sea life. Not all
litterbugs are smokers, and not all smokers are litterbugs. Trash
and debris often start out inland and make their way to the creeks
and coast via storm drains. Every piece of garbage that is dropped
in a gutter or down a storm drain makes it to a waterway, of all
the way to the ocean. Wherever you are right now, you are in a
watershed. We are all part of the problem.
We can all be part of the solution. The 2,000 volunteers who
will don gloves and carry bright plastic trash bags over the next
two weekends are certainly part of the solution. (For more details
on how to sign up, see this week¹s Discoveries section.)
As adults, many of us spend a lot of time lecturing children
about pickup after themselves and taking personal responsibility.
Here¹s a chance to teach by example.
Do you have something more important to do the next two
Saturdays than help keep our greatest natural resources clean?
‹ Barry W. Dugan