Annual Carson River cleanup this weekend

Carson City residents are invited to join the Kiwanis Club and Bureau of Land Management from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday for an annual cleanup of public land along the Carson River, Brunswick Canyon and Prison Hill Recreation Area.

Meet at the BLM-Carson City District Office's west parking lot, 5665 Morgan Mill Road at Deer Run Road (three blocks south of U.S. Highway 50 on the east side of Carson City along the Carson River).

The Carson River Cleanup is an annual event that has been popular for conservation-minded groups, families and individuals, as well as local groups like the Kiwanis Club, Boy and Girl Scouts, 4-H Club, Junior ROTC, and Key Club. Groups are asked to register in advance with BLM Public Affairs Officer Mark Struble at 775-885-6107 to ensure enough tools, event T-shirts, food and supplies are available for all volunteers. Come on out, get dirty, and enjoy a great barbecue lunch provided by the Kiwanis Club of Carson City.

This year's projects include picking up trash along the Carson River, Sedge Road, Brunswick Canyon, and in canyons of the Pine Nut Mountains and Prison Hill. BLM will provide all of the needed hand tools, trash bags and 30-yard Dumpsters for disposal of waste.

Volunteers are asked to wear long pants, heavy shoes or boots (no sandals), a hat and sunglasses, and bring heavy gloves to protect from broken glass, metal and thorns. Yard rakes and boxes also are requested to gather and dispose of broken glass and shell casings. Also be prepared for either cool, windy weather, or hot, sunny conditions; the weather in mid-September in Carson City is quite unpredictable.

This is one of the many events that will be held around the country in September as part of the 17th annual National Public Lands Day (NPLD). NPLD is the nation's largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance public lands. In 2009, about 120,000 volunteers built trails and bridges, planted trees and plants, and removed trash and invasive plants.