Last Cleanup of the 2014

Commitment to Cleanup Coyote Creek Shines at Last Cleanup of 2014
By Deb Kramer

On yet another rainy Saturday morning (par for the season), over 150 people came out to cleanup a quarter-mile stretch of Coyote Creek. This wild and wacky bunch collected quite the feast of materials for the compactor:

Unloading the Compactor
Photos by Spiros Kolomvotos

• 206 bags of trash
• 20 tires
• 10 gallons of some unknown fluid!?
• 5 gallons of batteries
• 3 shopping carts

The total weight from the compactor was 3.96, but when adding in additional items, like tires, we topped the 4 ton mark, again! Of note, volunteers had to walk the trash up to one-quarter mile to the road since the ground was too wet for the compactor to com in. Extra bonus points to everyone! Congratulations to all who participated.

Having fun at the cleanup and some of the tires
Photo by Tito Burbano

Some of the unusual items volunteers reported that we collected include:

• Slab of granite
• Lighter fluid
• Doors
• Backpacks
• Christmas lights
• Laptop
• Working Garmin GPS system
• Poker table
• Storage bins

Action Crew, photo by Mary Yan

Our Action Crew (learn more about them here) was ready for the 162 volunteers who came out this time. We had three photographers, extra help with our sign in process, and five cleanup team leaders to manage our crews. We also had the support of two SJ rangers. The Action Crew are instrumental to the success of our combined efforts.

Students from Silver Creek's CSF club
photo by Mary Yan

Our volunteers came from many different groups and schools, including San Jose State, Lincoln High School, neighbors, Yerba Buena High School, Sierra Club, Independence High School, Evergreen Valley High School, and AileenQ group. Several students were affiliated with a specific club, including Key Club, California Scholarship Federation, Interact Club, United Clubs, and National Honors Society. Without all these people, the creek wouldn't be as clean as it is.