This Just In: 1.42 Tons of Trash Removed at Sunnynook!

An e-mail from Alicia Katano at Friends of the LA River:

"You guys did an amazing job thank you so much for coming out and supporting our cleanup! We just got the weights back and sunnynook pulled 1.42 tons of trash…Way to go! We usually don’t advocate going into the islands because that is where birds nest but Netty told me you were all aware and careful and I am sure the egrets, herons, mallards, muscovies, etc. are thanking you for clearing out all of that plastic from their back yards!!! Melissa takes the cake with her waders and tenacity and I love your dolly/trash can idea! We are so going to copy you next year! "

Way to go HVCers and all the other amazing volunteers who came out for the event!

Want to get involved with the Hyperion Volunteer Corps and participate in monthly service projects around our community? 

Come to our next planning meeting on Saturday, May 30th 8am at the Homegirl Cafe 130 W. Bruno St., near Chinatown.

HVC Helps Clean up the LA River

Melissa in her waders, hauled out some huge trash. 

See the entire photo album by clicking here.

from Project Leader Judy:

It was filthy, hard work -- wet, dusty, disgusting at times -- but it was also an incredibly satisfying experience to get out into the river and make a small but worthwhile dent digging out and hauling out trash. Our crew worked underneath and just south of the Sunnynook footbridge, one of the only places on the river that still has a natural bottom. This section of the urban waterway is home to many ducks, geese and heron --and the lush green islands provide a contrast to the starkness of the graffiti tagged concrete banks and the roar of the 5 freeway that run along side them. 

The Friends of Atwater Village were the site captains where we cleaned up.  Netty, one of the founders of FAV and a longtime participant in the cleanup, said that this was the best turnout she has ever seen, and that more people got deeper into the river islands than ever before. She was really impressed by how well prepared we HVC'ers were, and how much dedication and passion we brought to the project. But we were just a handful of the thousands of people who showed up along the length of the river to make a difference. 

It was sobering to see the amount of plastic we hauled out of there. Let's all make a pledge to use as little plastic as possible in our lives. And if you want to do a little more than that, take action here.

I walk the river several mornings a week from Dover down to Fletcher, and I have to say that this morning the river not only looked a little cleaner, but also had that sparkle that comes from being well-loved. Thanks, everyone, for your hard work and dedication. It was a great day!