What a turnout for Coastal Cleanup Day this year! Restore Coyote Creek and the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter hosted its first Coastal Cleanup Day, not knowing exactly how wildly successful it would be. We had 150 volunteers and the Conservation Corp who helped collect 5.7 tons of trash over a nearly 1 mile stretch of creek from Tully Road south to Capitol Expressway. To put that amount of trash into perspective, this is the equivalent of 4 Mini Coopers in weight.
Here is a sampling of what we collected:
- 600 bags of trash
- 100 articles of clothing
- 26 tires
- 12 shopping carts
- 10 bicycles
Some of the most unusual items included:
- Mop bucket and wringer
- 2 TVs
- Water cooler
- Darth Vader game controller
- Dart board
- Spanish Bible
We had people come representing so many different organizations: Sierra Club, Silver Creek High School, Yerba Buena High School, Andrew Hill High School, City Council District 7, McLaughlin Corridor Neighborhood Association, San Jose State University, and University Preparatory Academy. About 70 of the attendees were high school students. One of the adults "enjoyed working with the young people who are fantastic."
Many of the people were all smiles and commented on how much fun they had. One person said he was "interested to see how far the trash extends" into the creek. One group of students couldn't believe how many tires were in the creek..."tires, tires, tires!"
Sonya Herrera, journalist at the Spartan Daily, wrote an excellent piece about the cleanup event, and interviewed many of the participants. You can read her article for more insights.
Restore Coyote Creek Project has joined San Jose State University as a partner through the Center for Community Learning and Leadership (CCLL). Michael Fallon, the center's director, has generously linked our efforts with faculty in multiple disciplines. Through these dynamic and engaging faculty members, we have developed many activities that offer projects and community learning for SJSU students.
This Fall, some of the student projects that have gotten underway include a play, a photography database, journalism articles, and art from trash. Future projects include advertising, publicity campaigns, and climate action projects. And, over 30 students plan to participate in California Coastal Cleanup Day along Coyote Creek on Saturday, September 20th.
As part of the CCLL's efforts to connect community partners with students, it offered a Community Connections Day on Wednesday, September 10th. At this event, we hosted a table at which over 50 students stopped by to learn how they can get involved with restoring Coyote Creek. Some students were interested in our community creek cleanups. Others were interested in participating in restoration activities. Yet, others were interested in biological studies. What a wealth of talent and diverse interests these young people offer. They were a joy to talk with. Neighboring tables included Downtown Streets Team, which offers homeless people volunteer activities that have ultimately lead to a job, and Neighborhood Housing Services, which works with low-income families to obtain and keep homes through community building. CCLL has a wide range of community partners, and we are happy to be one of them.
As a partner at SJSU, Restore Coyote Creek project is getting the boost it needs from younger minds and bodies. Before long, together we will restore this creek to a beautiful habitat for nature and people to engage in reclaiming their spirits through nature amidst an urban landscape. Now, if it would only rain!
I recently read an op-ed article in the San Jose Mercury News [San Jose's Jungle: It will close, but homelessness will remain a huge problem] that commented on the ultimate closing of "the Jungle" and the lack of "shared community responsibility" towards homelessness. Many people live along Santa Clara County's creeks, including Coyote Creek, and for a variety of reasons. As this op-ed points out, once the Jungle is closed, the visceral, visible icon for homelessness will disappear, but the homeless will be dispersed, once again, amidst our cities. Some will find housing, but others will not.
One of the new plans to end homelessness is the Community Plan to End Homelessness, a final draft of which was unveiled on Thursday, September 11, that offers three main strategies with underlying goals, one of which includes the environmental community. As part of this Plan, the goal is to shelter the chronically homeless, veterans, and families, but also to identify and help households at risk for becoming homeless. By supporting and being a part of the implementation of this plan, communities can help keep our creeks and waterways from becoming a home away from home for homeless people, and allow environmental groups to focus on restoring these natural places rather than primarily focusing on keeping them free of trash.
To join in the implementation plan or to learn more, contact Destination: Home.
