Volunteers rolled up their sleeves and headed into Coyote Creek as part of California Coastal Cleanup Day, helping remove trash and debris before it could travel downstream toward the ocean.
Community members worked their way down the creek’s rocky banks and into the waterway, collecting everything from everyday litter to much larger discarded items. Photos from the cleanup showed just how much debris can accumulate along the creek, including tires, boxes and other bulky waste.
The cleanup effort took on added importance as Southern California moves closer to an El Niño season. Heavy rains can wash accumulated trash from local streets, storm drains and waterways into larger channels and, ultimately, the Pacific Ocean.
Organizers thanked the volunteers who were willing to climb down into the creek and do the difficult hands-on work necessary to clear the area.
California Coastal Cleanup Day brings communities together throughout the state to remove litter from beaches, rivers, creeks and inland waterways. Although Coyote Creek may be miles from the coastline, cleaning waterways upstream is an important part of protecting the ocean because debris carried by stormwater does not remain where it was discarded.
The La Habra-area effort also demonstrated how environmental stewardship can begin close to home. Each bag of trash and piece of debris removed from Coyote Creek was one less item that could be carried farther downstream during the next major storm.
For the volunteers who spent their morning among rocks, water and discarded debris, the results were visible — and a reminder that protecting California’s coastline can begin right in the neighborhood.
