The Great Sierra River Cleanup is a collaborative effort between the Sierra Foothill Conservancy, Upper Merced Watershed Council, Bureau of Land Management, and the Kim Evans Memorial Clean Up. This is a one day event held annually in September that brings the community together to help clean up our beloved watershed. Volunteers are needed to help with this effort. Let's make this a cleaner and safer river canyon for families to enjoy!

During the first three years of the Great Sierra River Cleanup, more than 11,200 volunteers joined together to remove over 526 tons of trash and recyclables from watersheds throughout the Sierra Nevada. Hundreds of community groups spread across 22 counties and over 1,000 river miles, pulled appliances, cigarette butts, beverage cans, baby diapers, tires, furniture, and more from the rivers and streams that supply California with around 65% of its water.

This annual event takes place every year on the third Saturday of September from 9 a.m. to noon in conjunction with the California Coastal Cleanup Day. 

It’s easy to get involved.  Simply reference the contact information provided below, or visit http://www.sierranevada.ca.gov/our-work/rivercleanup/the-great-sierra-river-clean-location-map for more information.

Each year participants remove over 2,000 pounds of trash and recyclable material from the Merced River. The Great Sierra River Clean Up is about much more than picking up trash, however. It’s a day for Sierra communities – and those from all over California – to demonstrate their desire for clean water and healthy rivers. Help restore the Merced River, which flows from Yosemite National Park to the Central Valley.

It’s an opportunity to learn about Sierra rivers and it’s a time to come together with your children, your families, your neighbors, and your friends to accomplish something vital and worthy on behalf of our great Sierra rivers. By volunteering you will become part of a greater restoration effort.