Cleanups To Date

Pitch In All-Santa Cruz Cleanup Day will be May 10th, 2025!

Click Here to Learn More

Opportunities to participate will be updated here on a regular basis.

Upcoming Cleanups

  • Boulder Creek Spring Town Sweep
  • Volunteer Center Clean Up (Special Event) @ Pogonip Open Space
    Volunteer to clean up Pogonip removing trash from trails.
    • Time: May 3rd, 2025 @ 9:45am - 12pm (clean up starts at 10am - but please arrive at 9:45 for parking and walking to meeting spot)
    • Meet: Park Entrance at the end of Golf Club Drive (Emma McCrary Trailhead). 501 Golf Club Drive, Santa Cruz CA 95060
    • Please wear hiking boots or sturdy shoes, layers for warm or cold weather and sunscreen. Volunteers will do lots of walking on the trails and some volunteers may use a wheelbarrow to remove larger items.
  • Volunteer Center Clean Up (Monthly) Volunteer to clean up Pogonip removing trash from trails.
    • Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM on the 3rd Wednesday of the month.
      May 21, June 18, July 16, August 20, September 17, October 15
    • Please arrive 15 minutes early to provide time for parking and a short walk to the meeting location.
    • For details and signup, Click Here.
  • Join Save Our Shores cleanups
    • River Cleanup @ San Lorenzo River Levee (April 19 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm)
      San Lorenzo River @ River St South 149 River St S, Santa Cruz, CA
      • Registration is required
      • Meet Up Location: Please meet us near the pedestrian bridge on River St South across from the San Lorenzo Park Plaza.
      • Facilities & Accessibility: There are no restrooms or drinking fountains on site. Paid parking lots and metered street parking available nearby, please note River St South is the temporary bus metro and there is limited parking available on this street.
    • Beach Cleanup @ Cowell Beach (April 26 @ 9:00 am - 11:00 am)
      Cowell Beach 21 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz, CA
      • Registration is required
      • Meet Up Location: Please meet us at the base of the stairs to Cowell Beach, on the right side of the wharf entrance.
      • Facilities & Accessibility: Restrooms and drinking fountains are available onsite. Metered lot and street parking may be limited, please plan accordingly.
    • Beach Cleanup @ Cowell Beach (May 10, 2025 @ 9:00 am - 11:00 am)
      Cowell Beach 21 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz, CA
      • Registration is required
      • Meet Up Location: Please meet us at the base of the stairs to Cowell Beach, on the right side of the wharf entrance.
      • Facilities & Accessibility: There are no restrooms available, and no drinking fountains on site. Parking is limited, so please plan accordingly.
  • Join Coastal Watershed Council!
    A fun, family friendly way to help clean and protect our San Lorenzo River.
    This applies to all River Walk Cleanups:
    Generally, we will meet on the east riverbank between the Laurel Street bridge and the Branciforte Creek pedestrian bridge. Please RSVP below to receive up-to-date location information. We recommend that all volunteers dress in comfortable gardening clothes, including long pants, socks and sturdy closed-toe shoes. Bring layers, sun protection and a reusable water bottle. Gloves, tools and light refreshments will be provided.
    All ages and abilities welcome. Volunteers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
    Call (831) 464 9200 x104, or email CWC River Ecologist Kaiya Giuliano-Monroy with any questions before the event. RSVP
    • April 19 @ 9:00 am - 11:00 am
      Earth Day Cleanup at the Tannery Arts Center
      Tannery Arts Center 1010 River St, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
    • April 26 @ 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
      San Lorenzo Park Neighbors Second Annual Day in the Park
      San Lorenzo Park 137 Dakota St, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
    • May 10 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
      Pitch In All-Santa Cruz Cleanup Day 2025
      River Health Day
    • June 14 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
      River Health Day
      Santa Cruz Riverwalk
    • July 12 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
      River Health Day
      Santa Cruz Riverwalk
    • September 13 @ 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
      Volunteer to Beautify San Lorenzo Park
      San Lorenzo Park 137 Dakota St, Santa Cruz, CA, United States

Cleanups Accomplished

Salsipuedes Creek and Levee cleanup

June 22, 2023

On June 22nd sixty volunteers arrived at the Buddhist Temple on Bridge Street in Watsonville to join in a massive cleanup along Salsipuedes Creek. Mile markers Placed by Supervisor Hernandez office demark the two-mile stretch of levee which offers picturesque views of the mountains and surrounding city. Wildlife flourishes in the reeds and grasses along the banks. But the levee which borders both agriculture and housing development is compromised by cigarette butts, candy wrappers, water bottles, wood scraps, discarded chairs, and other miscellaneous garbage.

A special thank you to Ramon Gomez, Chief of Staff for Supervisor Filipe Hernandez who organized the cleanup co-sponsored by PGE’s environmental team, Watsonville Buddhist Temple and The Trash Talkers, which includes The City of Watsonville, The County of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County Sheriffs, Watsonville Wetlands Watch, and Watsonville Works, who all collaborated to participate in this cleanup effort.

Watsonville Buddhist Temple offered the use of their parking lot and Reba Condon who does litter pick up on her own on a weekly basis as well as contributing to the beautiful landscaping along the levee for Bay Village was there along with Kirk (as in Captain Kirk) to represent the Temple in the cleanup.

While being interviewed, volunteer Alexa Rodriguez Lopes said: “I am a Student Advocate for the Trash Talkers, I also have been Interning for Watsonville Wetlands Climate Corp Leadership for two years. They have exposed me to the beautiful environment here in Watsonville and  I am proud to be joining the County-wide Pitch In Initiative to fight pollution.” She also shared that she is involved in the Farm to Cafeteria program which provides fresh produce, fresh salad specifically, for all the summer school students from Pajaro and Watsonville high schools. Our goal is to bring healthier local food to our students.  This will increase healthy food choices, while reducing emissions, which is better for our kids, and our community all while supporting our local farms.

It was an impressive turnout and the neighboring community and those who walk the levee will be grateful for the collective effort that picked up volumes of trash. Now, let’s keep it clean!

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Volunteers from PGE’s Environmental Team, The Trash Talkers, City of Watsonville, County of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County Sheriffs, Watsonville Wetlands Watch, Watsonville Buddhist Temple and Watsonville Works join in the June 22nd Cleanup of Salsipuedes Creek and Levee.
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Our Hero John Moreno-Ramirez from the City of Watsonville works tirelessly, to keep Watsonville free of litter and illegal dumping.
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John Moreno-Ramirez (right) and his co-worker Josh Castillo from the City of Watsonville monitor and clean up litter and debris on a weekly basis throughout their jurisdiction. Today they assisted volunteers by loading garbage filled bags into their truck and on to the dumpster.
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Some of the 50 volunteers from PGE’s Environmental Team. Christina Ellsworth (kneeling lower right) an Environmental Supervisor said: “The stories about the devastation and flooding, were heartbreaking. We are excited to be partnering with the City of Watsonville and the County of Santa Cruz to make sure we take care of this creek area and our community. We are a team of land planning analysts, biologists, and environmental field specialists, creek cleanup and serving our home planet is what we are here to do.”
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Volunteers load garbage into a dumpster provided by the city of Watsonville.
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Supervisor Matt Penick helped to check drainage areas along the creek which have been impacted by trash. Their team including Remey Rodriguez (not pictured) work to maintain the levees while preserving important sensitive habitat along the creek.
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Molly Dodge, a biologist with PGE said: “Our team helps crews who are replacing poles, or doing vegetation management work in sensitive areas. Where we think there might be nesting birds, we do surveys to make sure there are no nests or we hold up the work until the birds have fledged, unless it is emergency work. This is not just for special status species, but for any birds. I have worked for PGE for two years and before that was a contractor doing vegetation management.”
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Santa Cruz County Sheriffs return their 4-Wheel drive vehicle after picking up trash on the left bank of Salsipuedes Creek.
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PG&E environmental scientists and volunteers pause for a photo while picking up garbage along Salsipuedes Creek.
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Volunteer Barry Scott, is the State Director for The Need Project (National Energy Education Development Project) which promotes energy conscious education.
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Alexa Rodriguez Lopez (left) joined Christine Lyons (right) of Watsonville Wetlands Watch. Alexa who will be a Senior at Watsonville high school in the fall, is a member of the Climate Corp Leadership Institute as well as being the Student Advocate for the Trash Talkers. She not only picked up trash, but found two snake skin sheds which she will put on display at the Watsonville Wetlands Watch Environmental Center.
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