Photo Credit: Sarah Kilingsworth
Point Reyes Station, California (September 17-21st, 2024) - The Environmental Action Committee of West Marin (EAC) hosted their annual Fall Litter Bugs Me and Coastal Clean Up events the week of September 17th-21st in coastal Marin County, affectionately known as West Marin. The clean-up efforts spanned multiple locations, including Muir and Stinson Beaches, Bolinas, Dogtown, Olema, Inverness, Point Reyes Station, Marshall, Tomales, Nicasio, San Geronimo Valley, and Tocaloma.
The week kicked off EAC’s 15th anniversary of hosting Litter Bugs Me, a roadside clean-up effort that encourages teams (businesses, village associations, schools, non-profits, and service organizations) to adopt a roadside in one or more of West Marin’s coastal towns to help reduce trash build-up in the watershed before the fall mowing schedule and winter rains. The event started over 20 years ago by residents Rigdon Currie and Dennis Rodoni, now our Marin County District 4 Supervisor, before it was handed off to EAC in 2009.
“I am inspired by the efforts of our community to keep our roadsides, creeks, and beaches free of trash. This year, my office adopted a roadside and removed more than 130 pounds of trash and 20 pounds of recycling in just a few hours with only five people! Volunteer programs like this are a great way to connect and build community while keeping our watersheds clean. Thank you to all the local organizations, teams, and individuals who participated this year.”
Teams participating included Audubon Canyon Ranch, Commonweal, East Shore Planning Group, Ecumenical Affordable Housing-Walnut Place, Inverness Association, Inverness Park Association, Inverness Public Utility District, Marin County Board of Supervisors District 4 Dennis Rodoni Team, Nicasio Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary, Olema Valley Association, Papermill Creek Children's Corner, Point Reyes Station Village Association, Rotary Club of West Marin, San Geronimo Valley Lions Club, Tomales High School, Tuesday Irregulars, Turtle Island Restoration Network, West Marin Climate Action, West Marin Community Services-Tomales Bay Youth Center, West Marin School-Parent Teacher Student Association, and the Cleaner California Coast-Leave No Trace Initiative.
“Last week, after receiving an email from the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin about the ‘2024 Fall Litter Bugs Me’ roadside cleanup event, I shared the idea with The Tuesday Irregulars, now in our 44th year of walking Marin’s trails. The group was receptive despite this being a totally new experience for us. I signed up, picked up the necessary equipment, and we got to work. Nine of us divided into four teams to clean along the levee road, extending to Balboa, including the trail along Lagunitas Creek and the parking lot. We separated recyclables from trash and handed over our collection to Madeline’s team. Among the items we found were a car bumper, several buckets, and a bicycle wheel. Special thanks to everyone who participated, especially the ‘poison oak divers’!”
The week culminated on Saturday the 21st with an EAC-hosted Coastal Clean Up Day for individuals in coordination with the international, national, and statewide clean-up event. This effort focused on Point Reyes Station, Inverness, Olema, Nicasio, and Chicken Ranch Beach. California Coastal Clean Up Day celebrated 40 years of engaging people around California to clean up beaches and watersheds statewide. California hosted 28,751 volunteers this year! Thanks to millions of volunteers worldwide, the International Coastal Cleanup® (ICC) has become a beacon of hope, leading and inspiring action in support of our world oceans. Since its beginning, more than 18 million volunteers have collected more than 380 million pounds of trash.
EAC’s week-long effort resulted in 109 volunteers removing 1,200+ pounds of trash and 160+ pounds of recycling over 437 square miles to protect habitats and watersheds in coastal Marin County. Notable items removed included a computer, PGE, and AT&T electrical debris, tires, and buckets of microplastics.
“Clean-ups like this are critical because our roadsides and beaches accumulate lost and abandoned cartons, bottles, cans, and other debris which harms wildlife in our watersheds, bays, and ocean. The events are also a great way to get involved in your local community and make a difference by protecting healthy watersheds, sensitive habitats, and wildlife. We are also reminded to refuse single-use plastics, reuse more, and avoid single-use plastic as much as possible. You can help by purchasing items in bulk at refilleries, bringing your own mug, and using reusable bags and containers.”
The clean-up efforts align with the Cleaner California Coast Leave No Trace Initiative — a tri-county collaboration between Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties to reduce coastal pollution. The initiative has been a partnership with the Marin Convention and Visitors Bureau, Marin County Parks, Sonoma County Regional Parks, Sonoma County Tourism, Visit Mendocino, California State Parks, the National Park Service, federally and non-federally recognized tribes, and the EAC.
“The Litter Bugs Me event was a regional, coordinated effort led by those who live, work, and recreate in West Marin. Together with the statewide Coastal Clean-Up, it provided an ideal opportunity to practice Leave No Trace principles and simultaneously make a meaningful impact on our watersheds, roadsides, and beaches. There was something rewarding about working as a team to sort, weigh, and record the collected materials, achieving together what none of us could do alone. Moving forward, through service and collaboration, we will continue to build our capacity to take action in partnership for the greater good.”
A big thanks to all the volunteers and partner groups, including our sponsors at Recology of Sonoma-Marin, who donated trash and recycling dumpsters, and to the Marin County Department of Public Works and Marin County Parks for their support in realizing this year’s event. Please join us and our partners for our 2025 spring LBM clean-up or next year during the third week in September!
See photos and learn more at: https://www.eacmarin.org/litter-bugs-me-coastal-cleanup-day-events
How You Can Help? Join us next year, September 16-20, 2025. In the meantime, you can become a coastal steward by becoming a member of EAC and volunteering for Marin MPA Watch or Duxbury Docents at https://www.eacmarin.org
Press:
Marin organizers gear up for Coastal Cleanup Day, Marin Independent Journal, Septemeber 19, 2024
