by Margret Smeta na Pitavi no My father was a great guy, an avid gardener who loved the out-ofdoors and also had a natural sense about things being in their right place. I remember him saying to us kids, “If you see something lying on the ground, don’t just walk by. . . pick it up!” He didn’t scold; he just enjoyed, in the simplest and deepest way, his garden, his home and the wild and beautiful landscapes where his feet led him. Trash didn’t belong in those places. The Waterways Keepers “idea-seed” was planted in CanDo’s garden when two friends, Carol Poole and Angela Mink, were out one morning bird-watching at Green Island Road. When they found themselves seeing more litter than birds, they switched gears, picked it all up, then decided to keep this new activity going. A small group of nature-loving CanDo volunteers joined the effort. We agreed to put our energy into keeping local creeks and the Napa River clear during the months between the two successful annual clean-ups: Earth Day in April and Crek to Bay in the fall. The first step was to educate ourselves about who was already doing clean-ups and how we could fill in where there were gaps. Leif Bryant from the Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District and Stephanie Turnipseed, Education Coordinator with the Resource and Conservation District, taught us about the challenges, but also about the difference we could make in just an hour or two cleaning along our waterways. Litter seems to say “nobody cares.” It attracts more of the same. When we keep our streams, river walks and open wetlands litter-free, they’re made safer for wildlife and hikers and more beautiful—naturally. All roads lead to Rome and all streams find their way to the Napa River. So do plastic bags, bottle caps, food and drink containers, discarded toys, cigarette butts and lighters. Debris flows from our way of life to the banks and then downstream through the estuaries and beyond. Who hasn’t seen pictures of huge gyres, islands of debris floating in the ocean? 48 www. n A PAVA L L E Y L I F E magaz ine . c o m Gyres include tons of broken plastics and styrofoam. Birds and fish ingest what look like tasty morsels and get tangled in plastic bags and fishing line, dying unnecessarily by the millions. Leif selected three important waterways needing regular attention. One morning, after an introduction to the South Jefferson Wetlands Conservation Project, we walked past longbilled curlews, snowy egrets and a few lazy cats on the way to the Napa River. Then, a crew of high school students, Girl Scouts, parents and other CanDo volunteers got down to work, removing food and drink containers, an ancient beach ball, cans and clothes. Each “discovery” was met with smiles. “Look what I found!” shouted Girl Scout Mia Andrilla, as a broken picnic cooler emerged from the reeds. At Vintage High school, science teacher Dean Wagner involves about fifteen students with CanDo once a month. “We clear the banks of Salvador Creek where it crosses the campus. Along with this maintenance, we’ve done some water quality testing and continue to be involved in creek restoration.” The good news? There is now almost zero litter in the creek! As a result, CanDo volunteers will move to another area. CanDo’s third location is the Oxbow in downtown Napa. Kristin Miller, CanDo volunteer and Community Resource Specialist with Moving Forward Towards Independence, does clean-ups with the young adults in her program. “We start at the bend in the Oxbow near the south parking lot, then loop around by the river trail to the north. Most of the debris is what people leave behind after eating and drinking outdoors.” We’ve learned time and again that when people have the opportunity to do hands-on volunteering, their love for a place grows. CanDo’s Waterways Keepers show up to clean up in family-friendly events three times a month —part of a growing movement to educate and advocate for reducing trash in our environment. How? By the simple, physical act of picking up litter and feeling good about instant results. To learn more about Napa Valley CanDo and the many ways you can help our communities thrive, go to www.NVCanDo.org, email NVCanDo@gmail.com or phone 707.252.7743 at family-friendly waterways events “The Napa River has provided and sustained life in the valley. Keeping it clean feels like a responsibility that we should embrace.” ~Camille Kaijankoski
NVLife_JulyAug_2013
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