A call to help a Solano watershed
Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, “In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous,” an idea reflected somewhat in the 20th century by Rachel Carson, the environmental trailblazer whose 1962 book, “Silent Spring,” inspired the modern environmental movement a decade later.
So, is it any coincidence that World Environment Day, the primary United Nations outreach day supporting the environment, has been held annually on June 5 since 1973?
Since that time, some 150 countries participate on a day that encourages awareness and action for the environment, and it will be celebrated locally June 3, when the 13th annual Solano County World Environment Day gets underway.
Beginning at 9 a.m. at Lake Solano County Park, 8685 Pleasants Valley Road in Winters, participants will remove trash from Lake Berryessa, plant native vegetation, create takehome seed packets and enjoy a free picnic lunch.
Registration is required and can be completed at www.cleanupsolano.org through June 1, although those who register by May 30 will receive a free World Environment Day event T-shirt, Marianne Butler, county cleanup coordinator at the Resource Conservation District in Dixon, said in a press release.
“Lake Berryessa, Lake Solano, and the Putah Creek watersheds are lifelines for Solano County,” Narcisa Untal, senior planner with the Solano County Department of Resource Management, said in the prepared statement.
“They provide us with high-quality drinking and irrigation water as well as recreational opportunities, but they are also impacted by the activities that occur within them,” she added. “Trash degrades water quality, impacts the functionality of the water system, and poses a hazard to boaters and recreators.”
Butler noted that Lake Solano is part of a “constructed watershed” that provides drinking water from Lake Berryessa, the seventh-largest reservoir in California, to some 500,000 Solano County residents.
The water also is the primary source of irrigation water for growers in the region, and companies such as Anheuser-Busch and the Jelly Belly Factory chose to operate in Solano County to use Lake Berryessa water, she pointed out.
“Also filling and leaving Lake Solano is Putah Creek, a vital ecological link between the neighboring mountain range and the Yolo Bypass,” Butler wrote in the statement.
World Environment Day “builds global awareness of the environment, draws political attention to environmental issues, and supports individual and community projects,” she added.
The Solano RCD coordinates the annual World Environment Day with Solano County Water Agency, Anheuser-Busch in Fairfield, Solano County, Lake Berryessa Watershed Partnership, and Volunteer Solano/ CVNL.
Additional support for this year's event is being provided by Solano County Parks, Putah Creek Council, and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
To learn more about these and other Solano County cleanup activities, including Solano County Coastal Cleanup Day on Sept. 23, visit www.cleanupsolano.org.