August 22, 2008 -- The Northcoast Environmental Center and the California Coastal Commission are proud to announce that the 24th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day takes place on Saturday, September 20th, from 9 am to Noon. Volunteers clean trash and debris from over 2,400 miles of shorelines throughout California. Locally volunteers will scour shorelines from Klamath to Petrolia, and inland to Willow Creek, Maple Creek, and along the Eel River. Last year 61,122 volunteers turned out to remove nearly 1 million pounds of debris from California’s shorelines.

Data gathered from previous cleanups estimates that 60 to 80 percent of the debris found on California’s beaches originates from inland or urban areas and washes out to the ocean. "California Coastal Cleanup Day has long been the state’s largest volunteer event," said Eben Schwartz, Statewide Director of the Cleanup. "Recent actions by our state government have challenged us to build even further on this success… We are taking this challenge to heart, and expect this year’s Cleanup to be our biggest ever." In keeping with this manadate, Humboldt County residents are encouraged to clean the banks of creeks, rivers, sloughs and lakes where they enjoy spending time.

Locally the now-global Coastal Cleanup Day, pioneered decades ago by the NEC and local North Coast citizens, is sponsored by the Eureka Reporter, The North Coast Coop, Arcata Community Recycling Center, Humboldt Waste Management Authority, the City of Eureka, and County Parks. Volunteers are encouraged to contact the Northcoast Environmental Center, at 822-6918 or stop by at 1465 G St. in Arcata to sign up to clean their favorite spot on September 20. Participants will be provided with gloves, bags for trash and recyclables, and data cards to record their findings.