Which organization did you volunteer for?
The event was hosted by the Corona Department of Water and Power.
Coordinator Contact info:
Ken Pitts - Santiago High School
Start Date
2011-10-22
End Date
2011-10-22
In hours, how much time did you volunteer?
4 hours
Describe your volunteer activities in detail.
I filled several trash bags with the garbage and debris from the Temescal Wash. Any trash present was disposed of in a more environmentally friendly way. Wrappers, bottles, plastic bags, tires, grocery carts, discarded clothing, etc. were collected and deposited in a waste management bin.
What were your accomplishments?
I filled six large trash bags full of garbage and disposed of them. In addition to this, Claire and I rid of a tire and helped to dig up two buried grocery carts.
What did you learn?
I learned of the impact of littering on the ecosystem. The Wash was choked with debris and trash to a magnitude that I found absolutely astounding. I also became aware of how slowly trash degrades; there were layers upon layers of garbage that had not broken down. All in all, this experience really opened my eyes to how serious the problem of littering and improper disposal of trash is upon the environment.
Attach any videos, images, audio, files, links or other documents related to your volunteer work, such as 'before and after' images, or videos of the volunteering in action. Give clear names and descriptions to the items so as to educate about your experience.
Attach a link to the website of the organization.
Location
Temescal Wash located on Auburndale Road, just north of West Rincon Road
Other Notes
Over four tons of trash and debris were collected by the volunteers and City crews from the Public Works Department and the Department of Water & Power. The most common items retrieved were plastic bags, food wrappers and containers, used tires and tarps. This event has a direct, positive impact on local watersheds, such as the Prado Basin and the Santa Ana Watershed, and native wildlife. Not only are local areas improved, since these waterways flow to our beaches and coastal waters, everyone downstream benefits too. Clean-up events such as these build a sense of environmental stewardship in our community.