Tijuana River Action Month Starts Next Week

Tijuana River Action Month begins Sept. 15 with California Coastal Cleanup Day, which will involve thousands of volunteers across California and Mexico. California Coastal Cleanup Day is part of International Coastal Cleanup, with events planned in more than 150 countries worldwide.

The month of cleanups and educational events is preceded by Fiesta del Rio, a celebration of the history and habitat of the Tijuana River Valley.

Tijuana River Action Month is organized by the Tijuana River Action Network, a collaborative of 11 organizations on both sides of the border concerned with the waterway.

The first Tijuana River Action Month took place in 2010 and is purposely scheduled after bird breeding season and before fall, winter and spring rains, said the Tijuana Estuary's Acting Manager Chris Peregrin.

"We can't effectively cleanup during the spring when the river is running. It's just too inaccessible and can be too dirty," he said.

Trash that isn't removed can harm threatened or endangered species that call the estuary home, Peregrin said.

The majority of the creeks and streams of the Tijuana River watershed are in Mexico, but the river crosses the border roughly five miles before reaching the Pacific Ocean in Imperial Beach.

Among ongoing events at the estuary, the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve Advisory Council will meet Thursday from 1-3 p.m.

Recently received grants to study and plan for the impacts of climate change to the Tijuana River Valley will be discussed.

Stewardship Program classes for long-term volunteers take place every Wednesday and Friday.

Click here to see a full list of Tijuana River Action Network partners.

Know any other events we should highlight for Tijuana River Action Month? Share them in comments here or email editor Khari Johnson at khari.johnson@patch.com