8th annual Green Friday Cleanup

Join Natural Restorations as we team up with SRP for our 8th annual Green Friday Cleanup at Box Bar & Needle Rock Recreation Areas on the Tonto National Forest!

Start a new tradition and think differently about the Friday after Thanksgiving! Everyone is welcome, including youth volunteers, when they are accompanied & supervised by a parent, guardian, or adult group leader.

Sign-in: 8:30-9:00 a.m. | Safety Briefing: 9 a.m. | Cleanup starts: after safety briefing Cleanup Ends with Free Raffle: 12:00p.m.

Event Staging Location: Box Bar Recreation Area, Rio Verde, AZ

Cleanup Options: Walk along the shoreline of the Verde River & through the vegetation picking up trash, or explore the area in your vehicle, stopping to pick up trash when you see it. We are staging at Box Bar Recreation Area, but we will be encouraging some volunteers to drive over to Needle Rock Recreation Area to pick up trash & bring it back to our dedicated dumpster at Box Bar.

Directions: Everyone is meeting at Box Bar Recreation Area for sign-in, safety briefing, and game plan for the morning. When you arrive, park, and walk over to 2 green Natural Restorations tents to sign-in or turn in your paperwork. Look for our signs & flags.

GPS Coordinates: 33.743734, -111.660522

***DO NOT use the EventBrite map to get there, it will send you to the wrong location. Use the GPS coordinates above to get to the event staging location***

Paste the GPS coordinates above into your phone or mapping system, or search Box Bar Recreation Area, Rio Verde, AZ.

What to Expect: Once the safety briefing & group photo are done, volunteers will spread out. Volunteers on foot can explore the area, walking along the riverbanks of the Verde River and through the vegetation picking up trash. Volunteers who prefer to drive around can drive over to Needle Rock Recreation Area, picking up trash along the way & at Needle Rock.

We will have a dedicated dumpster Box Bar so that we can get an accurate weight the trash volunteers remove. Everyone will meet back at the sign-in area at 12pm for a free volunteer raffle. Everyone will receive a free raffle ticket at sign-in, must be present to win.

Volunteer Paperwork: A few days before the event, we will send you a volunteer waiver. Please help us save time Friday morning by printing the form, filling it out, and bringing it with you. We will have extras at the sign-in table if you don't have access to a printer or forget your paperwork.

What to wear: Check the forecast before you head out so you can be prepared & dress accordingly. Please wear comfortable clothing & shoes that can get dirty, possibly muddy if you walk along the riverbanks of the Verde River.

Wear long pants, thick-sole & 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, warming up as we get closer to noon & as you move around. Wearing layers you can take off will likely be helpful.

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, & the dumpster. You are welcome to bring your own gloves & grabbers if you have them. If you would prefer to use a bucket, you're welcome to bring a bucket for trash but you will need to walk it to the designated dumpster each time it's full and having it in a bag will keep trash from blowing out of the dumpster. Put masking tape with your name & number on any tools you bring.

Snacks: We will have light snacks for volunteers, including fruit. If you have any dietary restrictions, you may want to bring your own snack. You could bring a small cooler in your vehicle with beverages and snacks if you'd like.

Tonto Recreation Pass: You do NOT need one to participate in the event!

Bathrooms: There are vault toilets open to the public.

NR Merch: We will also have NR branded merch available for a donation. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit & 100% of the proceeds go towards our Restoration Programs on the Tonto National Forest.

Groups: We can accommodate groups of any size. Please have your group leader email Nicole 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 Nicole at contact@naturalrestorations.org