The River City Waterway Alliance has several dates scheduled to help clean the garbage that is harming our waterways, natural spaces and wildlife. It’s great exercise and you are putting the work in to make a difference. Plus high school students will receive volunteer hours! Plus join them to celebrate on the 13th.

If you haven’t been to an RCWA event before, please read the event information at the bottom of this email.  They want to ensure that all volunteers are oriented and sufficiently equipped for a fun and successful day.  And a friendly reminder that punctuality is very important due to locked gates and remote cleanup locations. Please arrive at least 10-15 mins early for events.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Wednesday, January 7, 2026 Steelhead Creek Cleanup @ Del Paso/Main 5091 Kelton Way 9:00 a.m. – noon

The work site will be on the LEFT/EAST bank of Steelhead Creek, near the Del Paso/Main Bridge. We will meet at the levee gate at the end of Kelton Way near Robla Creek and will exit at Norwood Ave on Arcade Creek. PLEASE be on time (early ok) since we have to lock the gate behind us. At 9:00 am SHARP, we will caravan to the cleanup site. Unfortunately, late comers and folks needing to leave early cannot be accommodated.

We will continue our attack on trash and debris lining the banks and channel of Steelhead Creek, both new and old, as we work in this new project area. Please come out and help us clear the channel for the Salmon.

This event is not suitable for minors under 14 years old. Minors 14 and older are invited, but must be supervised by a responsible adult during the entire event.

There will be plenty of hard-core badgering (digging out the big stuff), but also easier detail work along the flat floodplain above the creek. Please bring along your waders and/or sturdy, mud-resistant footwear, grabbers, buckets, and gloves – a limited number of loaner buckets and grabbers may be available. Participants will be required to wear rain boots or waders if they intend to get into the water.

Friday, January 9, 2026 Ali’s Friday Arcade Creek Cleanup at Matheny/Auburn 6411 Matheny Way, Citrus Heights 9:00 a.m. – noon

Please join Ali for this cleanup of Arcade Creek! We will continue to partner with Arcade Creek – Adopt A Creek Project to focus on another stretch of this 18-plus mile creek.

We will begin our cleanup upstream of Matheny Way and continue working upstream. From there, we will be removing litter and bulk items in the creek and along the top banks (some buried deep in the channel, some right on the surface). This cleanup location has some flat banks up top, but access down into the creek can be challenging and may require a rope to get into the channel. Depending on water level, we may be in waders.  We recommend high waterproof boots or waders for the creek work. If not, we also need a crew working ropes up top on the very flat, accessible top banks.

Saturday, January 10, 2026 Steelhead Creek Cleanup @ Del Paso/Main 5091 Kelton Way 9:00 a.m. – noon

The work site will be on the LEFT/EAST bank of Steelhead Creek, near the Del Paso/Main Bridge. We will meet at the levee gate at the end of Kelton Way near Robla Creek and will exit at Norwood Ave on Arcade Creek. PLEASE be on time (early ok) since we have to lock the gate behind us. At 9:00 am SHARP, we will caravan to the cleanup site. Unfortunately, late comers and folks needing to leave early cannot be accommodated.

We will continue our attack on trash and debris lining the banks and channel of Steelhead Creek, both new and old, as we work in this new project area. Please come out and help us clear the channel for the Salmon.

This event is not suitable for minors under 14 years old. Minors 14 and older are invited, but must be supervised by a responsible adult during the entire event.

There will be plenty of hard-core badgering (digging out the big stuff), but also easier detail work along the flat floodplain above the creek. Please bring along your waders and/or sturdy, mud-resistant footwear, grabbers, buckets, and gloves – a limited number of loaner buckets and grabbers may be available. Participants will be required to wear rain boots or waders if they intend to get into the water.

Sunday, January 11, 2026 Steelhead Creek Cleanup @ Del Paso/Main 5091 Kelton Way 9:00 a.m. – noon

The work site will be on the LEFT/EAST bank of Steelhead Creek, near the Del Paso/Main Bridge. We will meet at the levee gate at the end of Kelton Way near Robla Creek and will exit at Norwood Ave on Arcade Creek. PLEASE be on time (early ok) since we have to lock the gate behind us. At 9:00 am SHARP, we will caravan to the cleanup site. Unfortunately, late comers and folks needing to leave early cannot be accommodated.

We will continue our attack on trash and debris lining the banks and channel of Steelhead Creek, both new and old, as we work in this new project area. Please come out and help us clear the channel for the Salmon.

This event is not suitable for minors under 14 years old. Minors 14 and older are invited, but must be supervised by a responsible adult during the entire event.

There will be plenty of hard-core badgering (digging out the big stuff), but also easier detail work along the flat floodplain above the creek. Please bring along your waders and/or sturdy, mud-resistant footwear, grabbers, buckets, and gloves – a limited number of loaner buckets and grabbers may be available. Participants will be required to wear rain boots or waders if they intend to get into the water.

Tuesday, January 13, 2026 RCWA’s 3rd Anniversary Celebration Touchstone Brewing Co. 116 N. 16th Street, Sacramento (next to Sacramento Pipeworks)

5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Come one, come all to celebrate RCWA’s 3rd Anniversary!! Please join us at Touchstone Brewing Co to celebrate the amazing accomplishments of the past three years. There is certainly much to celebrate. The success of RCWA would not be possible without its volunteers, donors and other supporters and we hope that you will join us on this special day. Food and drink will be available to purchase.

IMPORTANT EVENT INFO

Participation in any event hosted by River City Waterway Alliance (RCWA) is at your own risk and requires that you agree to hold harmless any organizer, person, and/or partner entities involved.  All RCWA volunteers will be required to sign a liability waiver prior to participating.

SAFETY FIRST!  We strongly recommend that volunteers come prepared with good quality gloves, plus sturdy closed-toed shoes.  Event cleanup sites may have potential hazards, such as poison oak; uneven, wet, muddy or slippery terrain; insects; and/or hazardous materials.  As such, long-sleeves, long pants and a sun-protective hat are advised, as well as making sure you are updated on your tetanus shot.  A safety talk will be given prior to the start of all events.

Events hosted by RCWA have a range of difficulty levels based on the terrain, type of debris and tasks needed.  There is something for all physical abilities, and all volunteer contributions are welcome and appreciated. Please only do what is best for YOU and your physical abilities and interest level.

Unless otherwise specified, events are suitable only for teens, ages 14 and older, and adults.  All minors must be accompanied and supervised by a responsible adult for the duration of the event.

RCWA will provide bags, but please bring along your grabbers, buckets, and gloves, as well as your own water and snacks – a limited number of loaner buckets, grabbers or gloves may be available. Please, no dogs.  We also encourage you to stretch, hydrate, apply sunscreen, and make sure you are properly fueled prior to the event.

Please also plan to join us for RCWA’s 3rd Anniversary Party on Tuesday, Jan 13th, 5:30 pm, at Touchstone Brewing Company (details below). We have much to celebrate again this year!