River cleanup offers chance to get involved

Carson City residents are invited to join the Carson River Cleanup and Public Lands Day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Bureau of Land Management's Carson City District Office, 5665 Morgan Mill Road.

This year's projects will include picking up trash along the Carson River, Sedge Road, Brunswick Canyon and in side canyons of the Pine Nut Mountains and Prison Hill.

Other planned projects include planting vegetation and helping with wildlife habitat improvement projects along the river corridor, such as wrapping cottonwood trees with chicken wire to protect them from beavers. Scouts also will install bat boxes.

Participants are advised to arrive early and meet at the west parking lot of the BLM office to pick up their work assignments. Lunch will be provided at 1 p.m.

Organizers will provide all of the needed hand tools, trash bags and 30-yard Dumpsters for disposal of waste. A variety of educational materials also will be available to participants.

Volunteers are asked to wear long pants, heavy shoes or boots, a hat, sunglasses and heavy gloves to protect hands from broken glass, metal and thorns. Yard rakes and boxes also will be useful to gather and dispose of broken glass and shell casings. Participants also should be prepared for either cool, windy or hot weather conditions.

The Carson River Cleanup is an annual event which has drawn conservation-minded groups, families and individuals, as well as local groups like the Kiwanis Club, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H Club, Junior ROTC and Key Club.

Groups are asked to register no later than today to ensure that enough tools, event T-shirts, food and supplies are available for all volunteers. The Kiwanis Club will provide a barbecue lunch for participants.

Call (775) 721-8006 or email Project Coordinator Mark Struble at mgstruble@att.net.

This is just one of the many events being held around the country in September as part of the 18th annual National Public Lands Day - the nation's largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance America's public lands.

In 2010, about 125,000 volunteers built trails and bridges, planted trees and plants, removed trash and invasive plants from hundreds of sites across the country.

The 2011 event also supports First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move Outside!" initiative designed to connect children and families to nature through healthy and fun outdoor recreation and stewardship activities.

The project is a joint effort of the Bureau of Land Management's Carson City District-Sierra Front Field Office, the Kiwanis Club of Carson City, the Carson River Advisory Committee and the Don't Trash Nevada Campaign.