Community clean up effort will focus on Bird Sanctuary Loop of river trail 

A large-scale clean-up effort scheduled for Saturday Dec. 6, will focus on an area of Redding’s riverfront located in downtown Redding. Beautify Shasta, a grassroots volunteer group focused on environmental efforts, is hosting the event which they say will be their largest volunteer gathering of the year.

Beautify Shasta founder and spokesperson Mark Ewing said several abandoned homeless encampments and high-impact litter zones just off the river trail have been identified for clean up. The area that will be focused on include parts of the Turtle Bay Loop or Bird Sanctuary Loop, which is adjacent to Turtle Bay Exploration Park and is home to many species of birds, including bald eagles. 

Volunteers will meet up outside the Sheraton Hotel near the Monolith at 8 a.m. to help with the effort. There, they’ll sign in and receive a safety briefing before beginning their work. Dozens of volunteers are already scheduled to attend, Ewing says. They include students from University Preparatory School and members of the local geocaching community. City of Redding staff members will also be on hand, supporting debris disposal efforts. The event will end at 12 p.m.

So far, Beautify Shasta has worked in collaboration with local organizations and residents to clean up over 4,000 pounds of trash, volunteering more than 5,000 hours. “We believe in community pride, environmental stewardship, and making a difference — one road, trail and park at a time,” the organization’s site says. 

Do you have information or a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.