Help clean up Yosemite National Park during ‘Yosemite Facelift,’ Sept. 23-27

Among the wild creatures roaming the trails and roadways of Yosemite National Park are a whole bunch of litterbugs, unfortunately. And in 2008, volunteers with the annual “Yosemite Facelift” cleanup event proved it, by helping in the picking up of 41,631 pounds of trash.

Following the crowds of summer, you can bet there is refuse aplenty to fetch from nature this year too. To assist in their intensive park-cleanup efforts, the Yosemite Climbing Assn. invites you, to lend a hand in the “Yosemite Facelift” on Sept. 23-27.

The areas of planned coverage include the park’s roadways, river corridor, trails, parking areas, campgrounds, climbing areas and lodging areas.

For your time and energy, you’ll get not only the satisfaction of helping to keep this national treasure clean, but you’ll also receive free park admission and possibly a free campsite (details below). Each volunteer will also receive a raffle ticket for each day they participate, and various prizes will be raffled off at 5 p.m. daily during the event.

You’re not required to sweat and toil the entire day. “Some participants are here to work hard all day; others are visiting to enjoy the park, and we ask them to bring a bag and spend some time cleaning up the area they are enjoying,” said Ken Yager of the Yosemite Climbing Assn. “We also have some special projects that we take on.”

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