VOLUNTEERS DEGUNK AREA WATERWAYS; OUTINGS MAKE COASTAL CHANNELS FLOW, SPARKLE.Byline: Gloria Gonzales Daily News Staff Writer It's dirty work, but somebody's got to do it. In the Conejo Valley The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both Southeastern Ventura County and Northwest Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It was discovered in 1542 by Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, and eventually became part of the Rancho El Conejo land grant by on Saturday, about 30 somebodies turned out to clean up a section of Arroyo Conejo Creek near Newbury Park High School. ``We found T-shirts, socks, a scooter scooter: see motorcycle. , a tire, broken bottles and lots of paper,'' said Laura Lyon, a 7-year-old member of Newbury Park Girl Scout Troop 153. ``We also saw some tadpoles Tadpoles are a psychedelic rock band formed in 1990 in New York City by Todd Parker (guitars/vocals) and Michael Kite Audino (drums.) In 1992, Nick Kramer (guitars/vocals), David Max (bass) and Andrew Jackson (guitars) of the fledgling Manhattan group, Hit, joined the Tadpoles in the creek.'' About 30 Conejo Valley residents - Girl Scouts Girl Scouts, recreational and service organization founded (1912) in Savannah, Ga., by Mrs. Juliette Gordon Low (1860–1927). It was originally modeled after the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, organizations created in Great Britain by Sir Robert Baden-Powell during , Kiwanis Club members and just plain folk - joined in with about 1,000 others in Ventura County and about 40,000 more statewide who helped clean up beaches, creeks and riverbanks Saturday for the 13th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day. Rather than wearing Saturday shorts and T-shirts, the Girls Scouts and other volunteers donned clothes suited to the dirty work of walking through the arroyo and retrieving trash. ``It was hot wearing these long pants,'' said Lyon, brushing her hands against her overalls. ``But I guess they kept me clean.'' Arnie Rudman, past president of the Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. Kiwanis Club and one of the event's local organizers, said he believed volunteers picked up about 500 pounds of trash from the arroyo Saturday morning. Countywide, volunteers collected about 20,000 pounds of trash and 3,000 pounds of recyclables. Statewide, event organizers estimate that this year volunteers will likely cart close to 3.5 tons - or 700,000 pounds - off of and out of state beaches and waterways The list of waterways is a link page for any river, canal, estuary or firth. International waterways
Some of the unusual items found in Ventura County included a stove, a clothes washer, a car door and a portable-toilet door. Conejo Valley volunteers were proud to add to this year's trash take. ``We filled that dumpster,'' he said, pointing to an industrial-sized dumpster overflowing with Coastal Cleanup's bright blue plastic trash bags. ``We pulled two shopping carts out of the arroyo, and we cleaned up a quarter mile section of the south branch of the arroyo.'' The work of the volunteers not only beautifies the arroyo, but also helps keep ocean water clean, since all water flows through creeks, arroyos and even storm drains to the sea. And with El Nino expected to bring downpours this winter, it's more important than ever to keep creeks and rivers clear, event organizer Jessica Craven has pointed out. Removing trash also protects marine wildlife. An estimated 100,000 marine mammals marine mammals mammals inhabiting the sea; generally taken to include the cetaceans (whales, porpoise, dolphin), the sirenians (sea-cows, including manatees and dugong) and the pinnipeds (the carnivores of the group, seals, sealions, walruses). and two million sea birds die each year from eating trash or after becoming entangled en·tan·gle tr.v. en·tan·gled, en·tan·gling, en·tan·gles 1. To twist together or entwine into a confusing mass; snarl. 2. To complicate; confuse. 3. To involve in or as if in a tangle. in debris, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. event organizers. Volunteers also record important information about trash they collect, said Barbara Carey of the California Coastal Commission The California Coastal Commission is a state agency in the U.S. state of California with quasi-judicial regulatory influence over land use and public access in the California coastal zone. . Data about the type and amounts of trash collected is entered into the Center for Marine Conservation International Database. The database helps scientists and researchers develop marine conservation plans, Carey said. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1) Volunteers David Swain and his wife, Stephanie, pick up debris Saturday in the wash in Borchard Park in Newbury Park. (2--ran in Simi edition only) Kiwanis of Thousand Oaks member ``Buffalo Bob'' Richards prepares to unload debris Saturday. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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