Grant #282

2024 Great Community Clean-Up, Truckee River Clean-Up, Truckee River Clean-Up, Adopt-A-River Program, and Community Education Program

Project Description:

KTMB supports a sustainable and beautiful community by educating residents and visitors about the importance of protecting the health of our watershed and improving water quality by mitigating nonpoint source pollution and invasive and noxious weeds. Local park staff report to KTMB that weed removal is often the most challenging aspect of their job. With current staff shortages, the incorporation of weed removal projects prior to weed seeding in the spring is vital and complements the timing of KTMB’s Great Community Clean-Up. KTMB’s Truckee River Clean-Up and Adopt-A-River clean-ups educate and engage the community about the presence of weeds and litter in our watershed and their underlying causes and effects.  According to Keep America Beautiful, “About 85% of littering is the result of people’s attitudes…changing individual behaviors is the key to preventing litter — and environmental cues can make a difference.” By engaging volunteers and community partners in this effort, and by having consistent outreach and messaging to support behavior change, KTMB educates and empowers residents and visitors to protect the Truckee River as the lifeline of our community.

KTMB’s Annual Great Community Clean-Up and Truckee River Clean-Up will:

  • Work with partners like OTR and WSCD to monitor river hotspots for invasive weeds;
  • Engage volunteers to remove nonpoint source pollution and invasive and noxious weeds at several hotspots along the Truckee River and its tributaries, as identified by KTMB’s Litter Index Survey, WSCD weed experts, and municipal partners;
  • Provide educational outreach and public service announcements in the community about environmental threats to the Truckee River and responsible river recreation and usage, and enhance marketing to increase volunteer participation.
  • Survey event participants and compile analyzed results to determine the success and impact of the event.

KTMB’s Adopt-A-River program will:

  • Recruit new volunteers and manage existing volunteers to conduct clean-ups along the Truckee River;
  • Continue to conduct an annual Litter Index Survey to evaluate current river corridor cleanliness;

KTMB’s Community Education program will:

  • Continue community outreach through traditional and social media outlets with messaging about the health of the river and individual stewardship opportunities to improve water quality;
  • Coordinate service learning events, community/educational presentations, and host community workshops to educate and empower the public to protect the Truckee River Watershed by reducing non-point source pollution and invasive and noxious weeds.

TMWA Benefit:

KTMB will support the following TRF Grant Priorities: V, VI, VII, VIII.

V: Support to Rehabilitation of Local Tributary Creeks and Drainage Courses – KTMB will support water quality improvement of local tributaries and drainages through the GCC, TRC, and Adopt-A-River clean-up programs. These events will engage hundreds of volunteers to remove tons of litter, invasive weeds, and green waste from multiple locations along the Truckee River Corridor and greater watershed.

VI: Stewardship and Environmental Awareness – This project will communicate and raise environmental awareness about water, water quality, and watershed protection by utilizing digital media and

educational/community presentations and service learning events to educate residents and visitors about the importance of maintaining a healthy river; how noxious weeds negatively affect native plant communities; and how litter and pollution are harmful to humans, wildlife, plants, and the local environment, economy, and esthetics.

VII: Meet Multiple Objectives – This project meets multiple TRF objectives because it will remove nonpoint source pollution and invasive and noxious weeds from our water through clean-ups and beautification projects, increase the community’s ecological literacy about water quality and conservation through messaging and education, and promote volunteerism to increase watershed stewardship.

VIII: Leverage Stakeholder Assets and Participation – KTMB will collaborate with numerous municipalities, businesses, community groups, and partners to complete the clean-up and education projects proposed. Project sites and activities along the river will be identified by KTMB and local experts and completed with planning and day-of support from partners to ensure effective programming.

KTMB’s 2024 Great Community Clean-Up, Truckee River Clean-Up, and Adopt-A-River program will also support the following One Truckee River Management Plan objectives (see attached document for description): 2.1.b, 2.3.j, 2.5.b, 3.3.h, 3.4.b, 3.4.c, 3.4.e, 3.4.f.

KTMB’s Community Education efforts will also support the following One Truckee River Management Plan objectives (see attached document for description): 1.3.b, 2.1.j, 3.2.d, 3.2.f, 3.3.b, 3.3.e, 3.3.h.