Name: Celebrate Our 100th Volunteer Event! Lower Salt River Cleanup at Coon Bluff
Start: 2023-02-18T09:00:00-07:00
End: 2023-02-18T13:00:00-07:00
Location: Lower Salt River at Coon Bluff (GPS: 33.547550, -111.645629)

Celebrate Our 100th Volunteer Event! Lower Salt River Cleanup at Coon Bluff

Natural Restorationsis a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in early 2015 by husband and wife team, Justin & Nicole Corey.  Natural Restorations conserves land through action, impact, and education. Their  mission is to remove trash & graffiti from outdoor recreation & wilderness areas, revitalize natural areas through replanting projects, and enrich the lives of Military Veterans & other community members. They accomplish their mission by hosting volunteer cleanup events throughout the year for community members, including youth volunteers, and they manage & support a Dedicated Restoration Team with contracted Military Veterans who conduct restorations beyond the reach of most volunteers.They  have removed over 1 million pounds (575.95 tons) of trash from outdoor recreation and wilderness areas across Arizona & they have removed over 40,000 square feet of graffiti painted on rocks and boulders. They have also removed and recycled 1,047 tires dumped in natural areas. In November 2020, they launched a Replanting Program. To date, they have planted 22,030 trees in the Cactus Fire burn area at the Lower Salt River that is part of the Lower Salt River Restoration Project with Program Managers from the EcoCulture team at NAU and we recently began the first phase replanting in the Bush Fire scar area.

Natural Restorations

Join us as we partner with OdySea Aquarium to celebrate our 100th Volunteer Event with a Lower Salt River Land & Water Cleanup at Coon Bluff

Lower Salt River at Coon Bluff (GPS: 33.547550, -111.645629)

<h3>Celebrate our 100th Volunteer Event! </h3><h3>Join us as we partner with OdySea Aquarium for our annual President&#x27;s Day Weekend Lower Salt River Land &amp; Water Cleanup Event at Coon Bluff Recreation Area! </h3>Everyone is welcome, including youth volunteers when they are accompanied &amp; supervised by a parent, guardian, or adult group leader. We would be happy to sign off on service hours or provide a Confirmation of Volunteer Service letter for youth volunteers. Sign-in: 8:30-9:00 a.m. | Safety Briefing: 9 a.m. | Cleanup starts: after safety briefingPlease be there for the safety briefing and game plan for the morning. Volunteer Paperwork: We will email you volunteer paperwork about a week ahead of time. Please print the form, fill it out, &amp; bring it with you to save time. If you need it sooner, email Nicole at contact@naturalrestorations.orgKayaks/Paddle Boards/Canoes: Our friends from REI Co-op Adventure Center &amp; Riverbound Sports are bringing kayaks and an XL paddleboard to help volunteers remove trash from the water and help ferry trash across the river to our dumpster. They will also provide PFDs and paddles.If you would like to reserve a kayak, please email Nicole at contact@naturalrestorations.org or use the contact button at the bottom of this page.If you have your own paddleboard, kayak or canoe, this is the perfect event to bring it out to help us get trash out of the areas volunteers cannot reach on foot. You can also help us ferry trash across the river. Directions: Everyone is meeting at Coon Bluff Recreation Area. Once you park in the first or second parking lot, walk over to the second parking lot past the bathrooms and up the sidewalk to the green Natural Restorations tent. Look for our flags by the sidewalk and follow the path. Please carpool if possible to ensure everyone has a parking spot. If the parking lot is full when you arrive, exit the main parking area and park on the right side of the road as far on the shoulder as you can. Use caution when exiting your vehicle and always look and listen for vehicles and volunteers on the road. GPS Coordinates: 33.547550, -111.645629***Do not use the EventBrite map to get there, it could send you to the wrong location. Use the GPS coordinates above to get to the event staging location or search Coon Bluff Recreation Area, Mesa, Arizona.***Plan your route ahead of time in case we cannot take your call. Once the safety briefing and group photo are done, Justin from Natural Restorations is going to lead volunteers along the trails to a point where it&#x27;s safe to cross to the other side of the river where the majority of the trash will be. Volunteers who do not want to cross can explore the trails along the river, in the camping area, the parking lot area, and up the road where there are pullouts and staging areas. Everyone will meet back at the sign-in area at 1pm for a free raffle. Everyone will receive a free raffle ticket at sign-in &amp; you must be present to win. What to wear: Check the forecast before you head out so you can be prepared &amp; dress accordingly. Please wear comfortable clothing &amp; shoes that can get dirty, muddy, and possibly wet. Wear long pants, thick-sole &amp; closed toe sturdy shoes for safety (no flipflops/sandals). Wear a hat, sunglasses for eye protection, and sunscreen. It will likely be chilly in the morning and warming up as you start to move around and it heats up. Wearing layers you can remove is helpful. ***This is the perfect time to use water boots or waders or an old pair of shoes you set aside for a river cleanup.*** If you don&#x27;t have water shoes, we can ferry you across the river on a paddleboard or kayak so you can get to the other side to pick up trash. What to bring: please bring a reusable water bottle or hydration backpack. We will have water coolers full of ice water for you to refill your bottle or pack. We will provide gloves, bags, trash grabbers, &amp; a dedicated dumpster. You are welcome to bring your own gloves &amp; grabbers if you have them. If you would prefer to use a bucket, you&#x27;re welcome to bring a bucket for trash but you will need to walk it to the designated dumpster each time it&#x27;s full. We are bringing a couple of Gorilla carts to help haul trash bags from the river to the dumpster. If you have a cart you would like to use to help haul trash, bring it (put masking tape with your name &amp; number on any tools you bring).*If you have any allergies that you carry an epi-pen and antihistamines for, please do not forget to bring them with you. This is a wilderness area along the Lower Salt River so it’s best to prepare for anything.Snacks: We will have snacks for volunteers. If you have any dietary restrictions, you may want to bring your own snack. You could bring a small cooler in your vehicle with cold beverages and snacks if you&#x27;d like.Tonto Recreation Pass: You do NOT need one to participate in the event! Bathrooms: There are vault toilets open to the public at this location. Free Volunteer Raffle: We are hosting a free volunteer raffle at noon for participating volunteers. Everyone will receive a raffle ticket at sign-in, must be present to win. NR Merch: We will also have Natural Restorations branded t-shirts, hats, stickers, and Tru Flasks available for a cash or card donation. Natural Restorations is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Gilbert, Arizona and 100% of the proceeds go towards our Restoration Programs. Youth Groups: If you need youth registration paperwork ahead of time for parent/guardian signatures, please email Nicole at contact@naturalrestorations.orgLarge Groups: Please have your group leader email us at contact@naturalrestorations.org for a group sign-in sheet to save time the day of the event. The group leader can get everyone in their group signed in then one person can turn the sheets into us at the registration table. If you have any other questions, please click on the CONTACT button at the bottom of this page or email us at contact@naturalrestorations.org

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Celebrate Our 100th Volunteer Event! Lower Salt River Cleanup at Coon Bluff

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