Cleaner California Coast Initiative
Three Counties, One Mission: Leave No Trace
Over 10 million people visit the California coastline and adjacent communities across Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties annually. With such high visitation, there will inevitably be impacts on the coastal environment. For example, trash and pollution have been ongoing issues for decades. Across all three counties, an average of 55,000 pounds of trash is removed annually during Coastal Clean Up Day (the third Saturday in September).
In an effort to address this issue, Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties – in partnership with federal, state, and local stakeholders and organizations – are collaborating with the nonprofit organization, Leave No Trace (LNT) to develop a visitor education and outreach campaign in English and Spanish for our coastal regions and watersheds. The Cleaner California Coast Initiative is managed by EAC in partnership with LNT, Marin County Parks, Sonoma County Tourism, Sonoma County Regional Parks, California State Parks, the National Park Service, federally and non-federally recognized tribes, Marin Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Visit Mendocino.
The Marin campaign team includes EAC, Marin County Parks, Marin Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Marin County Supervisor Dennis Rodoni’s office.
Empowering people to create a cleaner and healthier coastal Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino Counties
How to Help?
Be a Steward of Marin’s Coast
In preparing to manage the Cleaner California Coast Initiative, as part of EAC’s efforts in Marin, we published a digital and print English Spanish visitor stewardship guide, Discover, Connect, Respect, Marin County Coast, which includes information to highlight positive visitor stewardship practices to reduce impacts from trash and litter in early 2023.
We also created a comprehensive set of Community Resources that includes information on recreating in coastal Marin, how to be good stewards of our natural ecosystems, and who to call to report pollution, permit problems, etc. We also developed a Google map of the public restrooms in the area in the guide!
We are excited to partner with and support the Cleaner California Coast Initiative to reduce coastal trash and further our efforts to keep our roadsides clean throughout the year.
The combined efforts throughout the three counties, along with LNT will support safer wildlife corridors, coastal and riparian zones, and recreational opportunities while bringing community volunteers together outside to protect what we all love about West Marin.
Thanks to the West Marin Fund for their support in developing and printing this guide.
