REDDING COMMUNITY CREEK CLEAN-UP A SUCCESS
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, REDDING LIFESTYLES, SHASTA COUNTY
September 9th, 2008
Hundreds of volunteers scoured the channels of Clover and Churn Creek this morning followed by a food and swim fest at The Plunge. Teams of volunteers were assigned different segments of these two drainage basins to remove trash before winter rains arrive.
Clover Creek spreads out among the dirt fields east of Wooded Acres subdivision near the Redding Airport. My wife and I were surprised to find this area to be a popular site for dumping by thoughtless individuals. It seemed that every bush was a designated hiding place for old sofas and tires. I even found a bag full of spent rifle 
shell casings. Appliances, mesh fencing, scrap building materials, golf balls, bottles, cans, you name it, people dump it.
Ken Murray was assisted by several able bodied men, including myself, lifting a large sofa into a trailer for disposal. If you see him next week with a bad case of poison oak on his elbow, it was this effort to hoist a sofa when he rubbed up against this irritating shrub.
Our group included a contingent from Simpson College and a German foreign exchange student named Simeon. He arrived a month ago for his freshman year at the university. His English was perfect, I could not detect an accent. Ken asked him how he liked Redding so far and he said “I love it here, all the mountains are beautiful”. 
Anderson High School had student representation along with several senior citizens that didn’t mind the prickle of star thistle or the stinging nettles to reach discarded refuse.
Several hours of effort sadly only put a small dent in years of illegal dumping. Mr. Murray and I agree, Redding should consider a ban on plastic shopping bags! Those bags disintegrate on contact. Paper or plastic? Take paper, and recycle it!
The day warmed rapidly and by late morning everyone was looking forward to the BBQ and dip in the pool. The feast, donated by the McConnell Foundation, included burgers (served by Councilman Dick Dickerson), all the trimmings, fresh fruit, chips and ice cream! Yum! Seconds anyone? There was no shortage of tasty munchies.
I’m confident the volunteers pushed the three-year collection total to over 100 tons of trash removed from our stream systems! I know that this is the most trash I have seen in one area compared to the last two creek clean-ups. We can all help keep it that way by not allowing trash to enter our waterways in the first place.
The city is considering blocking access to these floodplains in hopes of deterring dumping. It’s a shame we have to do this to stop senseless dumping. We can all feel a little better that our creeks will be somewhat cleaner when they fill with water this winter!
A big thank you to Ken Murray for originating the event, city staff, and all the volunteers that organized and contributed to this wonderful community effort. If you need assistance buying or selling real estate, my contact information follows:
530-224-6767 or 530-941-7492
BRAD GARBUTT
REALTOR/BROKER ASSOCIATE
REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS GMAC
QUARTER CENTURY LOCAL REAL ESTATE EXPERIENCE
Just one question though. Have you made writing this blog as your profession or do you do this in your spare time?