This Earth Day, I helped lead a creek cleanup at Upper Sand Creek Basin, sponsored by the Contra Costa County Watershed Program and in partnership with the Contra Costa County Flood Control District. We spent the morning alongside an incredible group of volunteers dedicated to caring for the Marsh Creek Watershed. We had a great turnout and were joined by community members, families, and volunteers from the Friends of Marsh Creek Watershed (FoMCW) and members of the Marsh Creek Watershed Council (MCWC) all ready to get their hands dirty.
Throughout the day, we spread out along the creek and surrounding trails, collecting everything from plastic bottles and food wrappers to larger items like car tires and scrap metal. There were also a few “weird” finds that we picked up from the creek such as old clothing, dog toys, and plastic confetti, none of which you would normally expect to find in a creek. All together, we removed a total of 112 pounds of trash.
Beyond the trash itself, what really stood out to me was the energy. As we moved through the site, you could hear volunteers calling out what they were finding and wondering out loud how some of these items even ended up in the creek. Those little moments of curiosity turned into conversations about stormwater, litter, and how easily trash can travel into our waterways. The more trash we found, the more eager we were to keep going and clear it out. As bags started to fill up and piles of debris grew, you could really see the impact of everyone’s effort. By the end of the cleanup, the area felt noticeably lighter, clearer, and more cared for.
Overall, cleanups are about more than just removing trash. They are community events that bring people together to care for a shared space and leave them feeling empowered to conserve their watershed, speak up about issues like illegal dumping, and continue showing up. Stewardship groups, like the FoMCW and the MCWC, help make this possible by creating space for people to get involved and take action. Every effort, no matter how small, helps move us toward a healthier, more resilient watershed.
