California Coastal Cleanup Day marks 40 years with events across Bay Area

Every September, thousands of Californians gather on a single Saturday along beaches, shorelines and inland waterways with one simple task: pick up trash before it becomes part of the fragile coastal ecosystem.

This annual event is California Coastal Cleanup Day, which according to Guinness Book of World Records is the largest single day volunteer event in the world.

On Saturday, over 750 coastal cleanup events will take place statewide at beaches, bays, rivers, creeks, parks, roadsides and highways - all areas that can impact the delicate ocean waters of California.

Coastal Cleanup Day is supported by the California Coastal Commission, California State Parks and Ocean Conservancy.

To participate, volunteers visit coastal.ca.gov , where they will find an interactive map with exact locations and event information.

Events will take place throughout the greater Bay Area, as well as neighboring counties of San Joaquin and Mendocino counties. Cleanup locations include Muir Beach in Marin County, the Oxbow of the Napa River in Napa, Carmel River State Beach in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Sandy Beach in Rio Vista, Glass Beach in Fort Bragg and hundreds of other locations.

"The support that Californians have demonstrated for our coast over these past decades has been incredible," says Coastal Commission executive director Kate Huckelbridge. "It's amazing that volunteers who turned out to the earliest cleanups are now bringing their children or even their grandchildren out to participate...We can see the impact year-round. Thank you California for protecting our coast for the next generation!"