Balance staff gathered on Saturday, September 16, to volunteer with South Yuba River Citizens League – SYRCL, for the Yuba River Cleanup. We started our day in the creeks cleaning up all kinds of random things, Colleen’s husband even found $10! The report from SYRCL of the day’s success: 886 volunteers, removed 12,733 pounds of garbage and 1,122 pounds of recycling. Volunteers cleaned at 35 sites from Donner Summit to Marysville and the Bear River, too. Together we removed nasty garbage like refrigerators, car parts, broken glass, plastic, and random metal objects.

Balance began sponsoring the Yuba River Cleanup in 2014 in memory of our dear colleague Chris White. Chris maintained a deep connection with the Yuba River and graciously volunteered his expertise to assist his community and colleagues in protecting local habitat, people, and agricultural lands from water quality and physical damage. Our staff join in on the River Cleanup to honor and continue his legacy every year.

The day ended with a picnic and bike ride along the Truckee River, where we toured recent Balance restoration projects.

Thanks to Ben Trustman and David Shaw for coordinating a great event.