On Saturday, Sept 20th, community members across Santa Barbara County came together for the 41st Annual Coastal Cleanup Day, collecting more than 3,600 pounds of trash from local beaches, creeks, and parks in just three hours.
Organized locally by Explore Ecology and the County of Santa Barbara Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division, this year’s cleanup brought together 1,038 volunteers at dozens of sites from Jalama to Rincon. Preliminary reports (with data from one site still outstanding) show that participants removed 3,611 pounds of litter while covering an impressive 61 miles of coastline and inland waterways.
“We’re thrilled that so many community members showed up last Saturday and took a stand for clean beaches and creeks,” said Jill Cloutier, Public Relations Director for Explore Ecology. “This year included the first ever “trashure hunt,” where a small treasure chest was hidden at sites across the state. In Santa Barbara, with minutes to spare, volunteer Madison Heffentrager discovered the treasure chest at Arroyo Burro Beach! Her prize was a two night stay at the Cuyama Buckhorn Boutique Resort. Congratulations, Madison! Special thanks to the California Coastal Commission for coordinating this fun statewide scavenger hunt.”…