On June 30, a group of 70 volunteers joined Black Diamond, the Los Padres Chapter of the American Alpine Club, the Santa Barbara Rock Gym, and Los Padres ForestWatch to clean up Wheeler Gorge near Ojai. Thanks to their efforts, hundreds of square feet of graffiti and 200 pounds of trash were removed from in and around the popular climbing area.
The event started with a fun camp-out nearby the night before. Dozens of volunteers came out to enjoy a beautiful sunset and s’mores around a campfire. The next morning, the full group of volunteers gathered near Wheeler Gorge, where they were treated to coffee from Beacon Coffee and donuts. After a safety talk, the group split into multiple teams to tackle different areas of graffiti and trash throughout the gorge.
After a few hours of work, the gorge was nearly spotless. The volunteers gathered again for snacks, drinks, and a massive raffle featuring swag from Black Diamond, Santa Barbara Rock Gym, Guayaki, American Alpine Club, and Patagonia. Afterward, Black Diamond provided equipment to volunteers so they could climb in the gorge they helped clean.
Thanks to all of the incredible volunteers who spent their weekend helping out the Los Padres National Forest. And a big thanks goes out to Black Diamond, American Alpine Club, and Santa Barbara Rock Gym for organizing such a great project. We had a great time being a part of it.
Check out the slideshow below to see photos from the cleanup!
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About Bryant Baker
Bryant is the Director of Conservation & Research for Los Padres ForestWatch, where he manages scientific, technical, and volunteer projects. He is also a naturalist and photographer, spending most of his free time hiking the rugged public lands of the Central Coast region with his dog.
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