About this Event
Join us the day after Easter for a Lower Salt River Land & Water Cleanup! Recreation sites along the river get trashed over the Easter Holiday Weekend & we want to remove the trash as quickly as possible so that it doesn't end up in the river or hurting wildlife. Make an immediate, visible impact with us! Everyone is welcome!
Spend the morning with us exploring the riverbanks & trails along the Lower Salt River, removing scattered trash along the way, or bring your paddle board or kayak to help us pick up trash volunteers on foot cannot reach. We'll be picking up plastic Easter eggs & Easter basket grass, picnic trash, beer bottles, clothing, towels, shoes, & other debris left behind.
Youth volunteers are welcome when they are accompanied & 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 briefing | End time: 12:00 p.m. We will wrap up with a free volunteer raffle, volunteers will receive a raffle ticket when they sign-in. Must be present to win. If you or your organization would like to donate to the raffle, please contact us (info below).
Please arrive before 9am so you can park and turn in your paperwork before the safety briefing starts at 9am.
Volunteer Paperwork: We will email you volunteer paperwork as we get closer to the event. Please print the form, fill it out, and bring it with you to save time. We'll have extras at sign-in. If you need it sooner, email Nicole at [email protected]
Check with your employer: Your employer may offer paid time off to volunteer with us! We would be happy to provide you with a confirmation of volunteer service hours! Sometimes your employer will even make a donation to our nonprofit when you volunteer with us!
Event Staging Location: Phon D Sutton Recreation Area, Fort McDowell, Arizona
Directions: Everyone is meeting at Phon D Sutton Recreation Area in the large parking lot for sign-in, safety briefing, and game plan for the morning. When you arrive at Phon D, take the 2nd left into the second section of the first parking lot. Look for our signs and check out the screen shot from Google Maps below.
Once you park, walk over to the shaded picnic area towards the back of the parking lot to turn in your volunteer paperwork at the green Natural Restorations tents.
GPS Coordinates: 33.545795, -111.659794
Plug the GPS coordinates above into your phone or mapping system, or search Phon D Sutton Recreation Area, Mesa, Arizona. Plan your route ahead of time in case we cannot take your call.
Once the safety briefing is done, everyone is going to spread out. You can stay at Phon D Sutton or you can go up river to explore another recreation site.
Volunteers on foot: volunteers can explore the trails and riverbanks at Phon D Sutton or head out to other recreation sites along the river. We do ask that you bring your trash back to the dedicated dumpster at Phon D so we can measure our impact with the dumpster weight. Volunteers can head up to Water Users, Pebble Beach, Blue Point, Sheeps Crossing, Goldfield, & Coon Bluff, but do not go down too Granite Reef, it's under construction & closed. Lots of options for everyone!
Volunteers with kayaks & SUP’s: bring your kayak or SUP to help us remove trash volunteers on foot cannot reach around Phon D or you can head up to Goldfield to float down the river picking up trash. We do not recommend going up to Pebble Beach or Sheeps Crossing because this is a shorter event & you won't have time to stop for trash in order to get back to Phon D by 12pm. Please plan your own shuttle & remember your Personal Flotation Device (PFD), it's required by law to at least be on your vessel.
What to wear: Check the forecast before you head out so you can be prepared & dress accordingly. It's going to be warm , wearing layers you can easily remove is suggested. UPF clothing is a great option. Please wear comfortable clothing & shoes that can get dirty, muddy, and possibly wet if you choose to go in the mud or water. Wear thick-sole & closed toe sturdy shoes for safety (no flip flops/sandals).
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 & 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.
*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.
If you have water shoes or an old pair of shoes, this would be a great time to use them. If you prefer to stay on dry land, that's totally fine.
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 cold beverages and snacks if you'd like. If your business would like to bring out beverages, snacks or lunch for volunteers please contact Nicole at [email protected]
Tonto Recreation Pass: You do NOT need one to participate in the event! If you plan to stay after the event, please purchase a Tonto Recreation Site. There is a kiosk at recreation areas along the river.
Bathrooms: There are vault toilets open to the public at recreation areas along the Lower Salt River.
NR Merch: We will also have Natural Restorations branded t-shirts, hats, stickers & patches available for a donation. Natural Restorations is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Gilbert, Arizona and 100% of the proceeds go towards our Restoration Programs on the Tonto National Forest.
Youth Groups: If you need youth registration paperwork ahead of time for parent/guardian signatures, please email Nicole at [email protected] and we will email them over to you.
Groups: Please have your group leader email Nicole at [email protected] 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 [email protected]
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Phon D Sutton Recreation Area, Phon D Sutton Recreation Area, Mesa, United States
USD 0.00
