Tule River “Rio Limpo” Clean-up and River Fair to be held May 30 2009
A full day of activities and family events are planned for Saturday, May 30 as part of “Rio Limpo,” the annual Tule River Clean-Up and river education project. Rio Limpio, a joint project of WildPlaces, Community Services & Employment Training (CSET) and the U.S. Forest Service, gives the public an opportunity to help the community and the environment by helping to clean up local river recreation sites and help educate the public on how to keep the rivers and picnic areas clean and safe.
Volunteers are asked to meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Springville Veterans Memorial Park in Springville. Participants should wear long pants, sturdy shoes, sunscreen and a hat. All other materials and refreshments will be provided. Volunteers will be carpooled to and from the clean up sites.
Also on Saturday, CSET will hold a “Ribbon Cutting” ceremony at 10 am at the Springville Memorial Park announcing the new Springville Recycling Center. The recycling center, part of Rio Limpio and The Tule River Partnership, will be located on Hwy 190 at the cross of Mtn Road 190-A (or Rio Vista Rd). River visitors and residents will be able to utilize this valuable resource. Revenue raised from the recycled material will fund the maintenance of the Center.
Following the clean up activities, a River Fair event at Lake Success will give volunteers free BBQ lunch and other activities. All of the events, including food and beverages, are free and all ages are welcome. The River Fair will be held from 12noon – 3:30 p.m.
As in past years, “Rio Limpo” events are also planned for the Fourth of July weekend, and end of August/Labor Day holiday weekends. “Rio Limpo,” means “clean river” in Spanish.
This is the third year of the popular annual event. In 2007, WildPlaces and the U.S. Forest Service started Rio Limpo to begin to restore the Tule River and provide education on waste removal and the value of keeping our wild lands scenic and safe for all.
Two Sierra Nevada Conservancy 2-year grants totaling $240,000 were awarded to Community Services & Employment Training (CSET) in 2008 to improve conditions along the Tule River, located in Giant Sequoia National Monument on the Sequoia National Forest. WildPlaces, CSET and the U.S. Forest Service formed the “Tule River Partnership” to develop activities to decrease river and associated land pollution through river clean-ups, recycling options, graffiti abatement, and education.
