From SYRCL:
The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) announced the creation of its River Ambassador Program, a volunteer-based initiative to reach out to Yuba River users about how both local residents and out-of-towners can help keep the river clean, safe and healthy this summer.
Although the South Yuba River State Park was recently saved from closure by a concerted community effort led by SYRCL, more assistance is needed to address the serious risks from fires in the canyon, garbage dumping, and water pollution due to unsanitary practices.
“Severe cutbacks in services, such as park rangers and trash pickup are putting the most popular river access areas at risk,” says SYRCL Executive Director Caleb Dardick. “As advocates for the preservation of the river, the River Ambassador program is one-way that SYRCL volunteers can partner with State Parks and the Bureau of Land Management to maintain the river’s natural beauty.”
The primary purpose of the River Ambassador Program is to educate and motivate the thousands of annual visitors to the Yuba River to help keep the park clean and safe. By talking face-to-face to visitors at river crossings, at beaches and on trails, SYRCL’s corps of River Ambassadors will vastly expand outreach about the Yuba and how visitors can care for it.
“The Yuba River is much-loved. In fact, with over 450,000 annual visitors it’s in danger of being unintentionally loved to death,” says SYRCL Volunteer Coordinator Miriam Limov. “We are looking for friendly, outgoing volunteers who love and care for the river to serve as River Ambassadors.”
The River Ambassadors will target two heavily used river crossings along the South Yuba River, the Highway 49 Bridge and Purdon Crossings. The pilot program will run every weekend from June 30th to September 15th, as well as the Fourth of July and Labor Day holidays. SYRCL is currently recruiting at least 30 volunteers.
River Ambassador training will focus on how to educate visitors about river stewardship and to encourage responsible behaviors at the river. Ambassadors will not be trained to be park rangers or police and will have no enforcement responsibilities. River Ambassadors must commit to at least five shifts (3 hours each) over the course of the summer.
According to California State Park Superintendent Marilyn Linkem, financial strain on the state park budget has made monitoring such a large river corridor very difficult. “We commend SYRCL for taking this proactive approach in providing a trained volunteer corps of community members who can support our efforts and help to improve the experience visitors and locals have in this beautiful area.”
SYRCL has a long history mobilizing volunteers to care for the river. Over 650 volunteers removed over 14,000 pounds of garbage during last fall’s Annual Greater Yuba River Cleanup and Restoration Day. In addition, SYRCL will continue to pay for the placement of much needed porta-potties at Purdon Crossing. SYRCL envisions a day when there will no longer be a need for an annual cleanup days as everyone who visits the river will be good stewards, which means if you “pack it in, please pack it out.”
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Even if you didn’t pack it in, pack it out. We’ve been picking up stuff others left for years.
Taking an extra bag or two for trash removal has unfortunately been more the norm the last few years at Bridgeport. I am not complaining, but I sure wish the lazy bums would not leave a trail of trash….BTW ordering a 12 month parking pass(golden poppy) was easy and quick(arrived the next day!) on the state park website. You can use it at over 100+ state parks, and it will make parking a Bridgeport an ease. (RL – good to see you @ Sparky’s art show last evening)
I too have picked up trash left by others. One year I actually kept count of all the items I hauled out and then wrote a letter to the local newspaper describing my latest visit to Bridgeport. Besides the trash that day, I actually witnessed a woman rinse her poopy-bottomed baby off in the river, adjacent to quite a few swimmers and had to warn kids jumping off a rock that a broken bottle was close by. Yes, I picked up that glass too. I did score a perfectly good towel that had washed up on a rock which I considered payment for my good deeds.
Seeing people smoking, drinking alcohol, playing loud music is not my idea of fun at the river. I avoid weekends and hike out a ways to avoid large groups of people. I will always pick up trash and find it terribly sad that it’s there to begin with. Some people have no respect…
An outstanding effort by SYRCL.
I go to the River a lot. For years I bring bags and most every time I end up picking up a lot of “OPT”… “Other Peoples Trash”.
It makes me sick that some folks will pack stuff in like, 12 packs of beer and then just toss the trash right next to or even in the River for others to haul out. Then there are all the cigarette butts that get tossed along the River, the trails (and very place else). Why do smokers thiink it’s OK to toss their butts any where and every where?
I have even watched folks toss beer cans and other trash into the River. I talk to them about it and ask them to get their trash out of the River and to take it back out with them. I have had some folks get real mad that I dare say anything as they think it’s just fine to trash the River. Then I explain the fine for littering and that I will report them if they don’t clean up their trash.
I also have endless stories about this from my many years with the USFS on the Tahoe National Forest doing patrol/enforcement work. I can’t understand what the heck is wrong with some people.