From the Mexico border to Oregon, the 25th annual California Coastal CleanUp included, statewide, nearly 70,000 volunteers on Saturday. In the Big Bear Valley, the September 19 effort was the 10th annual cleanup day for Big Bear Lake’s shoreline. Local event coordinator Alan Sharp of Big Bear Marina says that there was a smaller than usual volunteer turnout this year, though 174 volunteers did contribute to the effort, and removed 718 pounds of trash and 147 pounds of recyclable material from 12 miles of the lake’s shoreline. This year’s largest volunteer group was from Ontario, California—88 seventh and eighth grade students from Ray Wiltsey Middle School came to Big Bear to pick up trash all morning, before enjoying lunch at the park. According to the California Coastal Commission, data suggests that 60 to 80 percent of debris on beaches and shorelines comes from inland sources, traveling through storm drains or creeks; that said, the Commission asks all Californians to take responsibility for making sure trash goes where it belongs, in a trash can, recycling bin, or hazardous waste dump when appropriate.
