Oceanside CA— Local citizens are banding together to tackle litter in the San Luis Rey River and Oceanside beaches. The City of Oceanside Clean Water Program will be hosting the San Luis Rey River Cleanup event on March 7, 2015, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Please note that this event has been rescheduled from January 31, 2015.
Volunteers can choose from four locations along the San Luis Rey River and two beach locations:
• Highway 76 and Benet Road
• Highway 76 and Fousatt Road at the bike path
• Douglas Drive at the bike path (SW corner)
• Mance Buchanon Park on College Boulevard
• Buccaneer Beach at 1500 South Pacific Street
• Oceanside Pier on the north side
Volunteers receive cleanup supplies, refreshments, and community service hours. You can help minimize the event’s carbon footprint by bringing you own bucket for trash, reusable gloves and a reusable water bottle.
The Clean Water Program is dedicated to improving water quality in local rivers, creeks and the ocean to protect the health of humans, wildlife, and the livelihoods that depend on healthy waterways. Community volunteers are needed to remove trash from local Oceanside waterways. Participating in a river or beach cleanup event is one way that citizens can do their part to protect the waterways we love and cherish.
Another way to protect waterways is to stop littering. According to the California Coastal Commission, 80 percent of marine debris originates from land-based sources, like litter (from pedestrians, motorists, beach visitors), industrial discharges (in the form of plastic pellets and powders), and garbage management (ill-fitting trash can lids, etc).
It is also very costly to keep California shorelines and waterways clear of debris. A 2012 study determined that 90 west coast communities spend a total of more than $520,000,000 each year to combat litter.
If you know a litterbug, inform them that they can easily protect the environment and save taxpayer dollars by simply disposing of trash in a trash can.
The Oceanside Clean Water Program wants to recognize event sponsors who regularly help with cleanup events along Oceanside waterways. Harrah’s Rincon Resort has adopted Buccaneer Beach and recruits volunteers from their HERO Team to coordinate cleanup events three times per year. Surfrider, San Diego Chapter also coordinates monthly cleanup events at the Oceanside Pier. Both of these groups will host beach sites for this event.
Cleanup event information can be found at www.OceansideCleanWaterProgram.org and select the events tab. No pre-registration is required and liability waivers can be downloaded from that website. You can also find information about other 2015 Oceanside River and beach cleanup events on the webpage. For further information contact Cynthia Mallett at 760-435-5807.