PARC Earth Day Clean-up volunteers find less to clean up at American River

The silver lining of Protect American River Canyons' annual American River Earth Day Cleanup on April 18, hosted by the Auburn SRA and Canyon Keepers, was there was less trash to pick up. River-canyon visitors are now taking more responsibility for their trash and picking up after themselves and others who are transitioning to becoming better friends of the American River's wild and scenic environment. We are now able to focus on providing information about our rich unique American River ecology, invasive plant species removal and most importantly safe recreation. Auburn Transit provided trailhead shuttle service to Confluence trails, and the Redbud Chapter of the CA Native Plant Society provided plant ID details while hikers removed invasive plants. Placer Mosquito and Vector Control shared info kits on how to avoid Lyme disease from infected ticks. Local high school essayists shared their ideas on how to protect the river and canyons from pollution, development and being "loved to death" by irresponsible recreation and tourism. Award-winning watercolor artist Juan Pena painted the Confluence using blends of the three primary colors red, blue and yellow. While feasting on a gourmet lunch provided by the Auburn Alehouse, participants viewed skulls of saber-toothed cats and gigantic short-nosed bears that roamed the canyons 10,000 years ago. To view a short video of the fun and accomplishments of American River Earth Day visit the Auburn Alehouse, Auburn SRA or PARC Instagram sites.