The Valley Women’s Club is happy to announce that there will be a 34^th Annual River & Road Cleanup in September! However, it will be up to individuals, families or those sheltering in place together, to work independently because of the impossibility of safely operating as a site-based sign-in/weigh-in, one-day Cleanup during this Covid-19 time. As in the past nine years, the VWC is teaming with Save Our Shores, and this year we’ll be using their wonderful Clean Swell App (https://oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/international-coastal-cleanup/cleanswell/), to collect and tally the data regarding what materials (and their location and quantity) are picked up from the roads and pulled out of riparian areas and waterways.

This year we’ll ask everyone to Protect Your Happy Place! That is to clean and protect whatever outdoor space that is close to home that brings you joy – that you value. This means that everyone who wants to should plan to venture out to clean up along the River, roads or creeks you can safely access — on any Saturday in September! Keep in mind the importance of a healthy watershed, and help reduce the ways that pollution can travel through creeks, rivers, and storm drains into the ocean – damaging habitat and wildlife all the way.

Instructions will be provided online on the Valley Women’s Club website (www.valleywomensclub.org) and on the Save Our Shores Coastal Cleanup website (https://oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/international-coastal-cleanup). You are asked to sign up at the SOS site, to be sure the SLV volunteers are accounted for. https://oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/international-coastal-cleanup/add-cleanup-location/.

You are encouraged to use your own supplies and collect data using the Clean Swell App since we will not be providing clean up supplies or stockpiling materials at a site in each town. I know that this is a very big change for us all, but this is a great opportunity to remind our community how their everyday lives affect the ocean, even if they live up in the mountains, inland from the coast. Folks will have four days to choose from rather than just one. Perhaps there are folks that will go out all four days!

Along with providing data via the Clean Swell App, participants are encouraged to share photos on the VWC Facebook page, or with the VWC’s Environmental Committee for the SLV – especially “before” and “after” shots with participants working to help cleanup. We want to share this all with you.

Those needing bags for gathering trash can contact the VWC Environmental Committee to arrange for some. For further information, contact the VWC Environmental Committee at nbbm@cruzio.com or call Nancy at 831/338-6578.