Forty volunteers from the Sierra Service Project conducted a cleanup July 4 on South Beach and around Whaler’s Island before a long night of fireworks.The next day, Tuesday, July 5, yielded about 21 volunteers from the community focusing on South Beach, Battery Point Beach and Pebble Beach. Over the two-hour cleanup, volunteers collected over 1,500 pounds of trash ranging from fireworks debris to lawn chairs.#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');“We are extremely grateful for the Sierra Service Project and the many local volunteers that turned out to clean-up our beaches,” said Gustavo Vasquez, program associate with the Smith River Alliance. “Frankly, it’s startling how much trash people left on our beautiful beaches over this Holiday.”Vasquez said, “I’m happy to report our beaches are looking much better after the cleanup effort, but it’s troubling to see such disregard for these special public spaces and the health of the ocean.”The Smith River Alliance will be hosting its next cleanup on Saturday, September 17, as part of the California Coastal Cleanup. The Coastal Cleanup is one of the largest one-day volunteer cleanups in the world. Other cleanups are scheduled later in the year focusing on the lower Smith River and partnering with Redwood National and State Parks.The cleanup was organized by the Smith River Alliance, Schmidt’s House of Jambalaya, Sierra Service Project and California State Parks. Special thanks to the Del Norte Solid Waste Management Authority, Whale Tail Grants Program and the many outstanding volunteers who participated.People interested in volunteering can also join the Smith River Alliance’s Adopt-A-Beach program, where volunteers can get cleanup supplies to cleanup different sections of beaches and recognition from the State of California for their efforts.For additional information about the Smith River Alliance and to learn how you can participate in a vast array of outdoor volunteer activities, contact Contact Gustavo Vasquez at gustavo@smithriveralliance.org. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });