News of the Arroyo
Title: | Coastal cleanup heads inland |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2007-09-16 |
Summary: | September 16, 2007 - The Arroyo Seco Foundation joins with Patagonia and Heal the Bay to clean up the Arroyo Seco and the Pacific Ocean. Almost 100 volunteers removed 750 pounds of trash. |
Author: | Emanuel Parker, Staff Writer |
Publication: | Pasadena Star-News |
Content: | PASADENA - What does the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena have to do with California Coastal Cleanup Day? \"The idea is that the Arroyo Seco joins the Los Angeles River, and the river runs into the ocean. This is an inland site, but all the pollution here eventually reaches the ocean,\" said Andrew Byrne, the Arroyo Seco Foundation watershed coordinator. In recent years, the annual cleanup along the county\'s beaches and coastal areas has steadily migrated inland, reaching out to volunteers in cities near urban streams and rivers that contribute to ocean pollution in the form of run-off, said Matt King of Heal the Bay. On Saturday, dozens of volunteers gathered beneath the Colorado Street and Ventura (134) Freeway bridges to clean a section of the Arroyo Seco. It was the northernmost cleanup project ever held in conjunction with Coastal Cleanup Day in the county, organizers said. Equipped with gloves, boots, garbage bags and tools to pick up trash, volunteers were scheduled to collect trash at one of only two places where water in the Arroyo Seco runs over bare ground, said James Enochs, environmental coordinator for Patagonia, which is co-sponsoring the cleanup. \"The cleanup is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon,\" Enochs said, \"but if people only show up for 45 minutes it will do some good.\" Byrne said the public does a good job of keeping the Arroyo Seco clean, and if the cleanup finished early he had an additional chore in mind. \"I want them to help remove some of the invasive plants that have taken root in the Arroyo Seco,\" he said. These include the tree of heaven, castor beans and the California fan palm. \"These are all plants that are not native to the area,\" Byrne said. \"The tree of heaven reproduces quickly, weakens the soil, overruns native vegetation, produces toxins that kill other plants and its roots cause damage to foundations and sewers.\" He said the castor bean has flowers that cause asthma and other allergies and it exhausts the soil. The fan palm is native to California deserts, he said, but in the arroyo it crowds out native species. Last year, California Coastal Cleanup Day resulted in more than 70,000 pounds of trash and recyclables being collected. About 85 percent of the trash came from inland sites, said Meredith McCarthy, Heal the Bay\'s director of programs. Heal the Bay has been in charge of the Los Angeles County cleanup day effort since 1990. More than 70 coastal and inland sites were targeted Saturday and more than 10,000 volunteers were expected to help clean them. Sites included beaches, parks, alleys, creeks, highways and storm drains throughout the county - from Malibu to Echo Park and as far inland as Pasadena. The event is international in scope, and similar campaigns took place in all 50 states and in nearly 70 countries. emanuel.parker@sgvn.com 626) 578-6300, Ext. 4475 Photo Gallery: Cleanup day at the Arroyo - http://sgvtribune.mycapture.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=333954 |
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