Highlights from MLK 2013 at Point Pinole:
- 154 volunteers
- 8 cubic yards of trash removed
- 10 cubic yards of ice plant, invasive grasses and woody debris removed
The Watershed Project thanks all of the volunteers who rallied to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Point Pinole Regional Shoreline last month.
The Watershed Project staff was amazed by the incredible energy that filled the day. Around 154 volunteers, mostly young people, came out with their families to clean the beach and remove invasive vegetation from the marsh and uplands along the North Richmond shoreline. Among the volunteers, we were pleased to host the enthusiastic Kensington Girl Scout Troop.
Volunteers took on the task of cleaning up what is known by the rangers as “little marsh” and removed trash and invasive species from the area. The Watershed Project’s volunteers learned about the impacts of marine debris in the ocean life and about the problems caused by invasive ice plant on the shoreline ecosystem.
We also partnered with the California Native Plant Society for a native prairie restoration effort in the uplands of Point Pinole. Volunteers learned about the endangered coastal prairies and how to identify invasive grasses that are threatening diminishing natural grassland.
This year’s wildlife star was a skunk that was hiding in a hollow log and tried to spray one of the volunteers. The kids around the area were delighted with the scene and kept trying to find more creatures under logs and trash.
After the event, EBRPD Ranger Thomas told us how much the parks district appreciates the hard work of the volunteers and remarked that the “little marsh” we have been cleaning up for the last few years has totally been transformed into a natural working marsh.
Special thanks to El Cerrito Natural Grocery and COSTCO for snack donations that kept up the energy of our hard-working volunteers!