Efforts Ongoing to Clean Up the Tule River

US Forest Service, Sequoia National Forest
Contact: Robin Galloway (559) 539-2607
Efforts Ongoing to Clean Up the Tule River

Springville, CA., August 26, 2009...Last weekend over forty volunteers picked up trash and covered graffiti along the Tule River, located in Giant Sequoia National Monument, Sequoia National Forest. This ongoing effort, called "Rio Limpio" or "clean river" is made possible through local and extended community volunteers in partnership with the Forest Service, Community Services & Employment Training (CSET), and WildPlaces.

Saturday's Rio Limpio was the third of four clean up events planned this summer; the last one is scheduled for September 26th on Public Lands Day. Graffiti removal products were graciously donated by Home Depot, with a volunteer appreciation BBQ sponsored by WildPlaces in cooperation with the Springville Inn, Town and Country Market, and J.P. Dulcich and Sons. Thanks to those who contributed, the event was a success.

The Rio Limpio events are just one of a series of watershed education, conservation and restoration projects along the Tule River as part of efforts announced last year by the Sequoia National Forest in cooperation with CSET (includes the Sequoia Community Corps), and WildPlaces. Collectively this core group has formed the "Tule River Partnership" to develop activities to decrease river and associated land pollution through river clean-ups, recycling options, graffiti abatement, and education.

Monies were just released for one of three grants designed to improve conditions along the Tule River. Support through a Sierra Nevada Conservancy Grant was awarded last year; however the State put a freeze on funding shortly after work began last spring. Sequoia Community Corps will resume regular litter cleanups along the river as early as this week. WildPlaces and CSET will be working with the Forest on a docent program to improve river use ethics through bilingual media campaigns, interpretive signs, publications, events and outdoor education camps.

The Sierra Nevada Conservancy grants are funded through Proposition 84 and initiates, encourages, and supports efforts that improve the environmental, economic, and social well-being of the Sierra Nevada Region, its communities, and the citizens of California.

CSET seeks to strengthen youth, families, and communities through education, employment training, youth development, mentoring, leadership building, job creation, environmental stewardship and other strategies that support self-reliant families and caring communities.

WildPlaces is a community based non-profit organization located in Springville, California in the foothills of the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Their mission is to preserve, support, and protect California's natural and rural places and the people of these landscapes through volunteer-driven habitat restoration, natural and cultural education, and career development.