By Kathy Chouteau
Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia is cohosting a clean-up of Richmond’s Marina Bay shoreline Sat., Sept. 18 with the nonprofit Watershed Project and the City of Richmond. The effort is one local aspect of a greater overall undertaking to beautify shorelines and waterways on annual Coastal Cleanup Day, which coincides with World Cleanup Day.
Community members can participate by attending an event or cleaning their own neighborhood anytime during September, according to Sup. Gioia in his newsletter.
The Marina Bay clean-up crew will meet up Saturday at Shimada Park, located at Peninsula Dr. and Marina Bay Pkwy in Richmond, at staggered start times of 9 a.m., 9:20 a.m. and 9:40 a.m. through 12 p.m. Participants should wear masks and bring work gloves, sturdy shoes, a sun hat and a debris bin if they have one. Other supplies will be provided. Register in advance for the Shimada Park clean-up here.
This year, in order to keep everyone safe during the pandemic, the Shimada Park clean-up will have the aforementioned staggered start times for crowd control and will include morning coffee and healthy grab-and-go snacks, per Sup. Gioia.
Other clean-up sites in West County will include: Wildcat Creek at Verde Elementary School, Watershed Project; North Richmond Farm, contact Nathan Bickart ([email protected]) at Urban Tilth; Bayfront Park Pinole; and Meeker Slough Kayak clean-up—bring your own kayak and contact John Dye ([email protected]) at Rivers For Change for info, according to Sup. Gioia. El Sobrante World/National Cleanup Day is yet another option, with numerous neighborhood projects afoot in Richmond and in unincorporated El Sobrante.
Community members wishing to engage in neighborhood clean-ups are encouraged by Sup. Gioia to clean up their neighborhood trash to help prevent it from polluting the bay. Using supplies from home, neighborhood clean-up participants can download the CleanSwell app to count their trash, and to have their trash counted, per Sup. Gioia, on their own time during September.
For more info and the rundown of other Contra Costa County clean-up sites, click here.
