Some 100 Pacific Gas and Electric volunteers teamed up with the California State Parks Foundation for a joint, Earth Day workday at Montaña de Oro State Park.
PG&E employees and their families, teamed up with members of the community interested in the environment, including a group from local Target Stores, to help make improvements in the park.
Volunteers cleared trails and removed invasive plants from large swaths of the park, allowing native species more room to grow, said Mark Mesesan, PG&E’s local communications principal.
The workday was one of 41, Earth Day clean-up events held at State Parks within PG&E’s service territory — essentially from SLO County to the Oregon Border. The company also donated $200,000 to the State Parks Foundation to help pay for materials needed for the cleanups.
The Foundation’s Earth Day Restoration & Cleanup Program has been in effect since 1998. By their tally, there have been 83,785 participants, contributing more than 334,301 volunteer hours, worth nearly $6.6 million in park maintenance and improvements.
Additionally, nearly $5 million has been raised through the Earth Day program to benefit state parks and the millions of Californians who, “rely on them for recreation, education, and inspiration.” For more information, see: www.calparks.org/earthday.
