Volunteers Sought for Cleanup of Dam Area

In the spirit of Earth Day, about 90 volunteers will pitch in Saturday morning to clear plastic bags, newspaper, soda cans and other debris that the winter rains brought to the wildlife reserve of the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area.

After cleaning the area--home to such birds as herons, sandpipers, hummingbirds, egrets and tricolored blackbirds--members of the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society and the California Native Plant Society will lead nature walks through the reserve.

The annual cleanup effort is an attempt to counteract both human and natural forces that sully the usually pristine area with everything from plastic foam to refrigerators, said Pamela Huffman of the Audubon Society.

“You can’t believe what people dump,” she said. “But we recycle what we can.”

The effort also includes clearing invasive weeds that are not indigenous to the wildlife area.

Volunteers are encouraged to attend, Huffman said, “because it’s a very big area to clean.”

The group will meet at 8 a.m. at the north end of the wildlife reserve near the intersection of Woodley Avenue and Burbank Boulevard. Rugged clothing is recommended.

The cleanup is scheduled to last until noon, with nature walks starting at 10 and 11.

For information, call the Audubon Society’s Muriel Kotin at (818) 783-4293, or Christine Smith at (818) 886-9091.