Cleaner California Coast Initiative Launches in Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino Counties

San Rafael, CA – The counties of Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino, along with the Leave No Trace organization, have launched a collaborative initiative to help coast-seeking visitors contribute to a Cleaner California Coast.

The Cleaner California Coast initiative seeks to lessen coastal pollution by reducing litter through a coordinated messaging campaign focused on community and visitor outreach, education, and training.  Over 10 million visitors each year come to the coastline of California and its neighboring counties of Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino. Over 55,000 pounds of litter were picked up from the sensitive coastal environment across the three counties last year alone. The Cleaner California Coast campaign empowers individuals and communities to create a cleaner California coast through the practice of Leave No Trace principles.

Marin County Supervisor Dennis Rodoni initiated the three-county collaboration in 2022 with Leave No Trace, Marin County Parks, Sonoma County Tourism, Sonoma County Regional Parks, California State Parks, the National Park Service, federally recognized tribes, non-federally recognized tribes, Marin Convention and Visitors Bureau, Visit Mendocino, and the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin to identify a meaningful path for proactively reducing the growing litter problem along the coast.

“The intercounty cooperation of Cleaner California Coast is remarkable,” said Dennis Rodoni, District Four Supervisor for the County of Marin. “That all of these stakeholders from the three counties are committed to communicating uniform messaging along the Northern California coastline is powerful. It not only reduces competing messaging — which can obscure clarity for visitors– but it greatly increases the likelihood of visitors being exposed to these important principles.”

The campaign launch culminates a year-long process of extensive research, community planning, and collaboration with representatives from the three coastal counties. This messaging campaign exists alongside the ongoing Sonoma County Leave No Trace Initiative to enhance and complement other impact prevention efforts promoted by public agencies and nonprofits in the adjacent coastal counties. As visitors and trash exist beyond county lines, Marin and Mendocino Counties are pleased to adopt practices from Leave No Trace and Sonoma County to apply along the Northern California coastline. Together, the Cleaner California Coast initiative will be the framework that allows us to advance collectively.

By launching the coordinated initiative, Mendocino, Sonoma, and Marin counties’ creeks, bays, and wetlands that connect to the Pacific Ocean will be positively impacted by engaging the public and communicating pollution prevention practices: Bring Reusables (and refuse single-use plastics), Find a Restroom (Know Before You Go), Pack It Out, and Hang On To Your Cigarette Butts (and E-Cigarette Pods and Cartridges).

Community members can help reinforce these practices at an upcoming clean-up event:

Sonoma County Event: Sonoma County Regional Parks
Beach Clean Up at Doran Regional Park:
Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023, 9:00 AM-Noon

Mendocino County Event: Mendocino Land Trust
Second Saturday Beach Clean Up at Hare Creek
(Park at Mendocino College, Coast Campus)
Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023, 10:00 AM – Noon

Marin County Event: Environmental Action Committee|
Coastal Clean-Up Day: Help clean up our creeks
and beaches in coastal Marin County
September 23, 2023, 10:00 AM – Noon

The CleanerCoast.org website was launched earlier this summer, providing a broad scope of messaging that the three counties will use to educate and influence visitors during the summer season and beyond. Agencies and organizations partnering with the initiative can share the Leave No Trace-based messaging resources in English and Spanish and take advantage of a new stewardship education series that explicitly addresses visitation and human impact issues along the Northern California coastline.

To learn more and do more, please contact:

Leave No Trace
Andrew Leary
Director of Sustainable Tourism and Partnerships
[email protected]

Marin County Parks and Open Space
Max Korten
Director
[email protected]

Environmental Action Committee of West Marin
Madeline Nieto Hope
Project Coordinator, Cleaner California Coast Initiative
[email protected]

Sonoma County Tourism
Devin McConnell
Sustainability and Climate Initiatives Manager
[email protected]

Sonoma County Regional Parks
Sarah Phelps
Marketing Specialist
[email protected]

Visit Mendocino County
Travis Scott
Chief Executive Officer
[email protected]

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Same contacts as above