They hike in it and they keep it clean. They are the new Wilderness and Open Spaces Stewardship Committee; part of the Santa Clarita hiking club. Their goals are trail maintenance, trash clean-up and beautification of all wild lands. Most recently, they built up a sweat at Whitney Canyon during a needed two-day clean-up mission.
Previous tenants at the Canyon buried their trash in the riverbed for 30 years so, when it rains, massive amounts of trash surface.
A club spokesperson says the organization sees the trash as an environmental disaster and health risk. They believe it could endanger the area’s aquifer and Elsmere Canyon. Since they are environmentally conscientious and users of the trail for their hikes, they took it as their responsibility to help clean it up and maintain it. An entire room-sized carpet with piles of trash under it has surfaced after heavy rains. Hours of dedication in early June at the site made a dent in the needed clean-up at the canyon.
The Stewardship Committee has partnered with the City of Santa Clarita, the MRCA, Placerita Canyon Nature Center, the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts and are grateful for their donations and support.
For further information about volunteering, the hiking club or to make donations, contact Dianne Erskine-Hellrigel at 661-259-2743 or at zuliebear@aol.com .