Volunteers Needed to Assist in Chula Vista Harbor Cleanup

Thursday, 21 January 2010
Contact: Barbara Moreno (619) 686-6216

The tidelands along Chula Vista will soon be a lot cleaner thanks to the efforts of the community at a Port of San Diego sponsored cleanup.

San Diego Coastkeeper is hosting the South Bay Harbor Cleanup on Sunday, January 31, 2010. The event will take place at Marina View Park (map), located at 200 Marina Parkway, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The cleanup is made possible thanks to a $15,000 grant to the Coastkeeper from the Port's environmental fund.

The grant helped fund Coastkeeper's Marine Debris program, which consists of four cleanups in San Diego's South Bay. The prior three cleanups helped remove 1,408 pounds of debris from Paradise Creek, Emory Cove and Chollas Creek.

"This will be a great community event, especially after all of the recent heavy rains," said Port Commissioner Stephen C. Padilla, who represents Chula Vista. "The numerous storms will have washed a lot of debris into the creeks and bay. We applaud Coastkeeper's promotion of environmental stewardship. The Port of San Diego is actively involved with protecting San Diego Bay's natural resources."

Volunteers at the cleanup will be asked to keep a tally of all the debris they remove while participating in the cleanup. The cards are used to quantify the data.

The Port of San Diego's Environmental Fund was established in June 2006 to finance environmental projects that go beyond state and federal compliance. Each year one-half of one percent of the Port's total earnings is set aside for this fund, about $600,000.

Cleanup participants are asked to wear comfortable clothes, closed toed shoes and sunscreen. Coastkeeper will provide bags, gloves and water. Each person must fill out a liability waiver (PDF) before participating. If you are under 18 you MUST have a parent or guardian sign the waiver.