Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

Successful Lee Vining Creek cleanup

Each year, all across the Sierra Nevada, environmental groups organize river cleanups as part of the Great Sierra River Cleanup. The goal is to remove as much trash as possible from the watersheds we love. This past week, Mono Lake Committee staff and volunteers picked up trash near Lee Vining Creek.

Mono Lake Committee staff and volunteers picked up over 60 pounds of trash around Lee Vining Creek! Photo by Andrew Youssef.
Mono Lake Committee staff and volunteers picked up over 60 pounds of trash around Lee Vining Creek! Photo by Andrew Youssef.

Mono Lake Volunteer Sue helps pick up litter along the Lee Vining Creek Trail. Photo by Erv Nichols.
Mono Lake Volunteer Sue helps pick up litter along the Lee Vining Creek Trail. Photo by Erv Nichols.

We worked near the trailhead of the Lee Vining Creek Trail and also on the section of creek upstream of Highway 395 near Utility Road. We collected everything from discarded clothing to styrofoam, leaving the area around the creek pristine. In just two hours, we collected over 60 pounds of trash and recycling. That’s 60 pounds of trash we don’t have to worry about wildlife getting into and 60 pounds of trash we won’t see along the beautiful waters of Lee Vining Creek and Mono Lake.

If you were not able to make it out for the Mono Lake Committee’s cleanup, the Eastern Sierra Land Trust is organizing another cleanup along the Wild Trout section of the Owens River. Meet Saturday, September 10, at 9:00am at the Pleasant Valley Campgrounds for a two-hour cleanup. To learn more and sign up to participate in the cleanup day along the Owens River, please contact Catherine Tao, ESLT Education Coordinator & AmeriCorps Member. To learn more about other cleanups across the Sierra, check out the website for the Sierra Nevada Conservancy.

Lee Vining Creek is now an even more beautiful place to spend an afternoon. Photo by Erv Nichols.
Lee Vining Creek is now an even more beautiful place to spend an afternoon. Photo by Erv Nichols.