Reseda : Coast Cleanup Day to Include Inland Project

More than 100 volunteers from the Valley are expected to help clean up litter, paint over graffiti and stencil warning messages in the West Valley as part of International Coastal Cleanup Day, scheduled for Sept. 23.

The 11th annual event is part of an overall effort by the California Coastal Commission to keep pollution out of the ocean and the waterways that lead to it.

“It’s about coastal education,” said Lisa Crossley, program manager for Heal the Bay, which is co-sponsoring the event. “It’s really to raise awareness about our coastal resource and what pollution does to it.”

In 1994, an estimated 6,000 Los Angeles County volunteers collected more than 62,000 pounds of trash and 2,800 pounds of recyclables from beaches, rivers and gutters. A similar group is expected to participate this year.

Cleanup efforts in the Valley will begin at 9 a.m. at 7239 Lindley Ave. in Reseda and end about noon with a picnic for volunteers on the grounds of the city offices in the West Valley, at Wilbur Avenue and Vanowen Street.

Organizers stress that cleanup activities at inland sites are as important as those that occur directly on the beaches.

“We look at the inland sites as a direct connection to the coast,” Crossley said.

The event is coordinated in Los Angeles County by the Heal the Bay program, the city of Santa Monica and the county Department of Beaches and Harbors. It is funded by the Santa Monica Bay Foundation and the California Coastal Commission.

Information about volunteering is available by calling (800) HEAL-BAY.