Medea Creek spruce-up part of Coastal Cleanup Day

9 a.m. to noon on Sat., Sept. 20

The 19th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day will run from 9 a.m. to noon Sat., Sept. 20 at 400 coastal and inland shorelines throughout the state. Locally, there will be a cleanup of Medea Creek in the vicinity of Paramount Ranch on Cornell Road in Agoura.

The event’s goal is to encourage Californians to clean their local beaches, shorelines and inland waterways while raising awareness about the connection between inland neighborhood non-point source pollution and the ocean. Coastal Cleanup Day is a partnership between the California Coastal Commission, nonprofit groups, cities and counties throughout the state.

The California shoreline is despoiled each year when thousands of tons of garbage end up on the beaches and in the ocean. Coastal Cleanup Day addresses the need for individuals to take responsibility for cleaning the garbage that travels from their communities into the ocean.

Last year, nearly 46,000 volunteers collected more than 860,000 pounds of trash and debris. Of that total, nearly 149,000 pounds were recyclable material. Garbage that’s uncollected may end up in the ocean where it can endanger wildlife through entanglement or ingestion.

Statewide the cleanups will occur at beaches, creeks, lakes and shorelines. Each coastal county and participating inland community in California has a local organizer.

For more information, please call the California Coastal Commission at (800) COAST-4U or visit www.coastforyou.org.