What happens when you get four Associated Students programs collaborating to address a real need in our community?  An amazing coordinated effort to clean up the Sacramento River after the Labor Day float!  Adventure Outings (AO), CAVE, and AS Recycling and Sustainability each played a vital role in making this concerted effort a successful one.   AO had the skills and equipment to get people on the river;  Sustainability had the expertise to plan the diversion infrastructure;  CAVE  had the know-how to recruit volunteers, and AS Recycling had a BIG truck and lots of bins!  Plus, this collaboration was strengthened by many key partners outside the Associated Students.  The California Department of Fish and Game provided jet skis;  the State Parks and Recreation Department provided a boat, the Dept. of Public Works and NorCal Waste Management provided bins, gloves, and trash grabbers to help get the job done.

The entire effort was the culmination of a "Safety on the River" campaign that CADEC, the Butte County Sheriff, and the Sacramento River Preservation Trust all sponsored.  The campaign focuses on how to enjoy the recreational beauty of the river in a safe and responsible way.  Despite these educational efforts there continues to be a lot of clean-up required after a major weekend float, so the following weekend, TEAM AS put their considerable time and energy to work. 

AO provided kayaks and rafts and conducted safety training on the site prior to the day's work.  Three AO staff guides launched a flotilla of over 40 volunteers at Irvine Finch stopping along the river banks to bag trash.  Their destination:  Beer Can Beach where bags of cans and assorted  trash plus discarded tubes, rafts, etc. were bagged, loaded onto boats and transported to a take-out point where they were loaded onto the AS Recycling truck. 

President Zingg  provided an inspired and thankful send-off to all the volunteers and three Orion reporters accompanied the group to cover the story.  Forget journalistic objectivity!  After half an hour, they joined in (apparently making a difference is contagious) and became a part of the story.

For over six hours this dedicated group of volunteers along with the support of key local agencies, proved that students do recognize their responsibility in being good stewards of our community's natural resources.  This year's event was a trial run to discover the best ways to manage such an effort, but the waiting list of volunteers to participate is a clear indication that this will become an annual event.