One day a year since 1986, volunteers of the San Lorenzo Valley community have gathered together for a day of work — all in the name of keeping the rivers and roads a little cleaner.
There has been a river and road cleanup day every year for 25 years, but this year’s — set for Sept. 17, a Saturday — will be the first as the Al Haynes Memorial SLV River and Road Cleanup, named in honor of the late founder of the event, who died in December.
According to Valley Women’s Club board member Nancy Macy, this year’s cleanup will be a collaboration among the club, Santa Cruz County Public Works, the San Lorenzo Valley Water District and Save our Shores.
All volunteers need to do, Macy said, is show up at one of the bases of operation, in Felton, Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
“We want anybody who had ever participated to come,” she said.
Cleanup organizers send teams of volunteers into the nooks and crannies of the San Lorenzo Valley in search of trash, recyclables and any other kind of abandoned refuse that accumulates in and around the roads and waterways.
Abandoned homeless encampments are often the largest sources of debris that volunteers haul away, Macy said.
“We’ve had volunteers literally pulling couches out from under bridges,” she said.
Making a comeback this year after a seven-year hiatus is the post-cleanup barbecue at Highlands Park, which will feature live music, food, drinks and prizes for volunteers.
“People’s lives just got so busy that they couldn’t come to the barbecues,” Macy said.
The event is dedicated to the memory of Al Haynes, who, Macy said, worked to secure a small grant to start the first cleanup. He was a watershed analyst for the SLV Water District, and he and his wife, Sue, were founding members of the Valley Women’s Club.
At the barbecue, the county will present Haynes’ family with a certificate of recognition for his contributions.
“We have a lot of dedicated people in this community that really care about the rivers,” Macy said.
At a glance
WHAT: Al Haynes Memorial SLV River and Road Cleanup
n In Felton: 9 a.m. to noon, Covered Bridge Park; noon to 3 p.m., Rite-Aid at Hihn Street and Highway 9
n In Ben Lomond: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., intersection of Fillmore Street and Highway 9
n In Boulder Creek: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., SLV Redemption and Recycling Center (behind Village Wash and Dry)
INFO: 338-1728 or vwcweb.org
