Almost a thousand volunteers removed 11,470 pounds of trash, pulled 6,801 invasive plants, laid 900 cubic feet of fresh mulch, and painted 35 infrastructures on the American River Parkway. Photo courtesy of American River Parkway Foundation

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Almost a thousand volunteers removed 11,470 pounds of trash, pulled 6,801 invasive plants, laid 900 cubic feet of fresh mulch, and painted 35 infrastructures on the American River Parkway (Parkway) during the Great American River Clean-Up (GARCU) on Saturday, Sept. 19.

“Every year, it amazes me to see how the community shows up to help conserve the American River Parkway. We are so grateful to our passionate volunteers, who took time out of their Saturday to pick up trash, pull invasive plants, lay mulch, and paint infrastructure, like metal poles, wooden posts and parking curbs, across 13 sites along the Parkway,” said Dianna Poggetto, Parkway Foundation executive director. “Each year, the amount of trash removed decreases, which really showcases how our community has come together to keep one of our region’s greatest civic amenities clean and beautiful.”

The American River Parkway Foundation manages programs like volunteer clean-ups, infrastructure improvements, trail maintenance, fire mitigation and education. Photo courtesy of American River Parkway Foundation

The Great American River Clean-Up is part of the California Coastal Cleanup Day, which is California’s largest annual volunteer event to remove trash from beaches and inland waterways. The American River Parkway Foundation has partnered with the California Coastal Commission since 1993 to bring GARCU to the community.

Today, GARCU is recognized as one of the largest interior clean-ups in California and, since 2011, has helped removed over 271,000 pounds of trash and harmful debris from the American River Parkway.

For more details about the American River Parkway Foundation and the incredible work thousands of volunteers complete each year to conserve the American River Parkway, visit www.ARPF.org/ or watch the Discover the Parkway series on the ARPF YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/AmericanRiverParkwayFoundation.

The Great American River Clean-Up is part of the California Coastal Cleanup Day, California’s largest annual volunteer event to remove trash from beaches and inland waterways. Photo courtesy of American River Parkway Foundation