Amador County - An estimated 4,500 volunteers collected approximately 151 tons of trash, appliances, car parts and other debris during the Second Annual Great Sierra River Cleanup last Saturday. The event, which is sponsored by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC), involves dozens of partner organizations throughout the Sierra Nevada.

“It was a huge success and we are thrilled at the turnout and the enthusiasm for this event,” said SNC Executive Office, Jim Branham. “65 percent of California’s water supply comes from the Sierra so it was great to see so many people coming out to be good stewards of their rivers, lakes and streams.”

Volunteers scoured beaches and riverbanks to collect paper trash, aluminum cans, plastic bags, cigarette butts, cardboard, glass bottles and more. Some of the more interesting items removed during this year’s cleanup include shopping carts, a bottle of moonshine and a boogie board.

The Great Sierra River Cleanup took place at more than 125 sites in the Sierra, virtually every watershed was included. Plans are already underway for next year. The Cleanup began last year and is conducted in conjunction with the annual California Coastal Cleanup event. Combined, the two events make up the single largest one-day volunteer event in California.

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