The 2021 Owens River Annual Clean Up has come and gone. The event hosted on Saturday, May 1, 2021, was the most successful attendance and clean up yet in eight consecutive years!

This year’s clean up drew over 150 volunteers. While a handful of local residents attended the event, the majority of the participants were guests to the Eastside who traveled to Bishop for the weekend to engage in volunteer tourism of cleaning up the Owens River in Bishop, and its surrounding areas. The participants enjoyed Great Basin Bakery coffee and baked goods in the morning, as well as a tenkara casting demonstration hosted by Luong Tam of Tenkara Tanuki. Volunteers spread out around the valley to collect rubbish that doesn’t belong anywhere other than in a trash can. Everyone reconvened at noon for June Pie and Upper Crust pizza for lunch, with refreshments furnished by Vons of Bishop. Several event donors rewarded participants with swag that was handed out in a free raffle. Some lucky folk walked away with anything from a gift certificate to a local outfitter or restaurant to a fly fishing rod. It was wonderful. It was great to see so many people taking pride of our public lands. The 2022 Owens River Annual Clean Up will likely be scheduled for March or April of next year. Stay tuned for the announcements.

For anyone wanting to partake in a similar event, the Rush Creek and June Lake Loop Annual Clean Up is right around the corner. It’s scheduled for Saturday, June 19, 2021. Interested volunteers meet at 8:00AM at the Silver Lake boat ramp in the June Lake Loop. Volunteers will reconvene at the boat ramp at 11:30AM for barbequed hot dogs and refreshments. There will also be a free raffle for swag for everyone who participates. This is an opportunity to clean up the areas around Rush Creek, and the June Lake Loop. Anyone interested in more information, or if you’d like to donate, please contact organizer Joe Lemire at 909.609.1101.