Volunteers are needed this Earth Day at Carpinteria State Beach, where the nonprofit California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) has asked community members to help plant the east side of Carpinteria Creek and the dune area near the new boardwalk. Working from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Saturday, April 16, participants will ease the state park systems’ close to $1.3 billion cache of overdue maintenance projects, postponed due to “chronic underfunding,” read the foundation’s press release.
Across the state, business and individual volunteers at 24 state parks from San Francisco to San Clemente join the 18th Annual Earth Day Restoration & Cleanup project. “Trail and campground improvements, trash cleanup, tree planting, and restoring wildlife habitats are just some of the projects planned for Earth Day,” said the CSPF’s release.
Since 1998, the event has united 81,670 participants, contributing over 334,301 work hours (equivalent to $6.39 million) to the state parks system, according to CSPF. This year’s Earth Day project is cosponsored by PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric Company), Edison International, Oracle, and Southern California Gas Company. Peet’s Coffee & Tea and Nature’s Path will provide refreshments. To sign up as a volunteer, visit calparks.org/help/earth-day.