With Earth Day fresh in the minds of environmental advocates, the Pacific Beach community is being asked to pitch in for the annual, roll-up-the-sleeves Creek to Bay Cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 26.
Join Friends of Rose Creek and I Love A Clean San Diego as they search Rose Creek and environs for trash to take to the dump.
“Creek-to-Bay volunteers at Rose Creek will get the message that we all need to keep trash in its place,” said Karin Zirk, a volunteer of Friends of Rose Creek, a citizens environmental support group.
At past Creek-to-Bay Cleanups, Zirk said, volunteers have been “shocked at the diversity of trash lining Rose Creek — broken surfboards, hot tubs, computer mother boards and plastic food wrappers, to name just some of the types of trash that have been found.”
Zirk suggested volunteers bring their own little red wagon, because “a lot of the trash is too heavy to carry half a mile.”
Zirk said it’s important to note that “no matter how far you live from the ocean, litter on our streets enters storm drains and flows directly into our creeks, bays and ocean.
“Keep trash where it belongs and always keep secure lids on your outdoor trash cans,” Zirk said. “Pick up your pet’s waste,” she said. “Pet waste harbors harmful bacteria and is known to cause water pollution, which leads to beach closures. Carry bags to pick up after your pet and dispose in the trash.”
Creek-to-Bay Cleanup volunteers are asked to meet about 8:30 a.m. at Mission Bay High School, 2475 Grand Ave.
For details and to pre-register, visit saverosecreek.org/news/?p= 813. An ice cream social follows, hosted by Campland on the Bay.
Rose Creek is an urban stream flowing north t -south through Rose Canyon and San Clemente canyons, draining into Mission Bay. Both the creek and canyon are named for 1850s San Diego pioneer rancher Louis Rose.
The Rose Creek Watershed Alliance was created in 2005 to create a plan to improve the watershed. Volunteer group Friends of Rose Creek conducts periodic watershed cleanups.
Friends of Rose Creek meets the first Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. at the Pacific Beach Recreation Center, located at 1405 Diamond St.