On Saturday, Feb. 8, Ballona Creek Renaissance (BCR) and L.A. City Councilman Mike Bonin co-hosted a big Ballona Creek cleanup at the bike path entrance at Centinela Avenue and Milton Street in Del Rey. Around 200 volunteers, a record number for BCR, came out to this unique spot where the concrete creek bottom meets the softbottom tidal estuary. Considered a special place of art because of the creekside vegetation, fish, waterbirds, people and shaded seating.
BCR’s next creek cleanup will be from 9 a.m. to Noon, Saturday. April 19, at Centinela Avenue and will be co-led by Troop 50 Life Scout Evan Dumas as his Eagle Scout Project.
“A Culver City High School junior, Evan really helped a lotat our February cleanup and has great suggestions for the next one,” BCR President Jim Lamm said.
“The turnout on Saturday was beyond expectations, reaching close to 200 volunteers and visitors,” Sandrine Cassidy Schmitt, BCR’s creek cleanup co-leader said. “We were definitely working as a team, and I am proud to have been part of it. We were successful in conducting our first zero waste event and removed 520 pounds of trash from the creek, from reaching the ocean.”
The diverse BCR-led event team included representatives and materials from Los Angeles Audubon, Friends of Ballona Wetlands, Councilman Bonin’s staff, Boy Scout Troop 50, L.A. City Office of Community Beautification, L.A. City Sanitation, L.A. County Public Works-Flood Control District, Del Rey Neighborhood Council, and cleanup volunteers of all ages from different schools, neighborhoods, organizations and businesses.
For details about creek cleanups and other activities and to sign up for BCR E-News, visit www.ballonacreek. org or www.facebook.com/ ballonacreekrenaissance.