Canyon Cleanup Day 2001

A heartfelt thanks to the 20 neighbors who put in some hours on Saturday, September 15, cleaning up the creek in Butters Canyon. Our second annual creek cleanup was a lot smaller and more subdued than last year's, but in the aftermath of September 11, that was not surprising.

Twenty volunteers were able to accomplish everything that needed to be done, and we're grateful for everyone's efforts. Ages ranged from under 10 to over 70, and together we covered a lot of territory.

Here's how Saturday looked: In air heavy and white with fog, volunteers headed into the creekbed with clippers and trash bags. Some sawed the remaining ivy from bay trees while others cleaned ivy from around the redwood trees. Those scouring the hillside for litter soon returned, dragging their full trash bags, and grabbed fresh ones to head back down.

We were all surprised to find we could fill so many bags; it seems the ivy has been hiding a lot of junk. A single-bed mattress appeared on the street, some more tires, paint cans, even an auto transmission. A few volunteers got together and tied ropes to the trees at the large dumping ground from last year and managed to drag up, among other things, the front end of the cut-up car frame that had come out of the canyon a year ago.

All in all, we filled nearly 50 garbage bags--construction debris, cans and bottles, toys, carpets, the works. We dragged the bags to designated pickup spots along Butters Drive, and the Alameda County garbage trucks arrived in short order. By late afternoon, the canyon was spotless.

On behalf of the neighborhood and the creek, thanks again to all of you who volunteered your time and crawled up and down the sleep slopes to keep this corner of the earth beautiful. During a time of national and international tragedy, we can do worse than to believe in the renewing power of nature and our own abilities to preserve and protect it.