Coast cleanup day targets beaches, rivers

Organizers of the 2012 California Coastal Cleanup Day this Saturday are still looking for volunteers for several targeted beaches along the Sonoma Coast, as well as inland waterways like Santa Rosa Creek and the Petaluma River.

Now in its 28th year, California's largest volunteer event usually draws plenty of help, at least locally, said Hannah Faire Scott, a coordinator with Sebastopol-based Coastwalk California.

But participants in Sonoma County have been slower to sign up this year, Scott said Thursday.

Momentum picked up in recent days, but the roster was still more than 200 people shy of the number usually lined up by now, she said.

Last year, Sonoma County volunteers gathered more than 6,000 pounds of trash and recycled materials from local waterways and beaches.

Around the state, more than 82,500 volunteers in 2010 removed more than 1.2 million pounds of garbage, according to the California Coastal Commission.

Sonoma Coast sites still in need of volunteers include Pinnacle Gulch near Bodega Bay, Shell Beach, South Salmon Creek Beach, Wright's Beach and North Jenner Beach.

Volunteers also are needed for three sites in the Sonoma Valley — Maxwell Farms Regional Park, the Nathanson Creek Preserve and Larson Regional Park — the Santa Rosa Creek cleanup at Doyle Park, and the Petaluma River cleanup in Petaluma.

The event is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. A barbecue for volunteers will run from noon to 2 p.m. at the Bodega Dunes day-use area in Bodega Bay.

Volunteers should wear sturdy shoes, sunscreen and layered clothing, and bring drinking water, gardening gloves and, preferably, a reusable trash receptacle.

Volunteers can register at www.coastwalk.org. Participants also can contact Scott at (707) 829-6689 or hannah@coastwalk.org to volunteer or ask questions.

The Salmon Creek Ranger Station on Highway 1 north of Salmon Creek Beach in Bodega Bay is hosting a drop-in center for last-minute volunteers beginning at 8:45 a.m. Saturday.

Walk-ins also will be accepted for the Petaluma River cleanup, meeting at the Friends of the Petaluma River parking lot, 260H N. Water St., and at the Santa Rosa Creek cleanup at Doyle Park.

"Come on down," Scott said. "We've got room."