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NOTES FROM THE TRAIL – While working on an Earth Day American River Cleanup story (see page A1), it was necessary to venture into the canyon with two volunteers so I could see firsthand some of what they will be cleaning on Saturday. I met retired PG&E worker Rex Maynard and his neighbor Ron Blair at the curved bridge at the Confluence early last Saturday morning. The area was teeming with activity. Two State Parks employees, clipboards in hand, were busy conducting a survey of those at the Confluence to find out what their plans were, how much they planned to spend in town (and on what) and where they were from. Judging by the cars parked along the sides of the road, they were from just about everywhere. License plates from Nevada and even New Jersey could be spotted mixed in with all the California motorists. A cyclist told us there were actually two groups that morning. One was a bicycle company test riding their new line with some extreme sports pros. The other was a group of cyclists competing in races of various lengths. With notebook and camera in hand, we bid adieu to the cyclists and headed on our way. We walked for a bit along the trail on the east side of the North Fork of the American River and stopped near the Foresthill Bridge, the highest bridge in California. From the trail, we could spot a few shopping carts in the river, but not much else. “We’ll take this trail,” Ron said, as he slowly made his way down the steep embankment. Trail? I didn’t see a trail, but I followed Ron’s lead anyway. Once we reached the banks of the river, the trash was visible. Into sports? Golf balls are plentiful. Bowling balls, dropped 730 feet from the bridge above, are in pieces. Television sets, computers, monitors, tires and who knows what else are scattered among the rocks. Burned out glow sticks crunch underfoot. From what I’m told, teens love to go to the bridge at night and drop them over the side, watching them glow on the way down. Eric Peach said that this is where the bulk of the cleanup will happen on Saturday, under the bridge. His group, Protect American River Canyons, is lobbying for a barrier to be installed along the sides of the bridge to help prevent all this trash from ending up in the river, but so far the requests have fallen on deaf ears. Others have requested just such a barrier, but for different reasons. The Foresthill Bridge is also known as “Suicide Bridge.” While the bridge area will boast the most activity on Saturday, you won’t find Rex and Ron there. The duo is responsible for cutting up the abandoned cars discarded in the canyons. Ron has helped Rex with the last five vehicles. Rex has cut up a total of seven. The California Highway Patrol helicopter helps lift the pieces out of the canyon. “It’s hard to believe,” Ron said. “We clean this river every six months and we haul so much garbage out of here. It’s unbelievable how much trash gets tossed in this river in just six months.” To lend a hand with the cleanup, see the story on page A1.
AROUND TOWN – The first Auburn Art Walk of the season last week was a well-attended affair as warm weather certainly brought out the foot traffic. An interesting exhibit at the Arts Building Gallery, 808 Lincoln Way, made its debut. “Outside the Box” features professional artists, school children and some well-known locals who were given a small box as a starting point to create art from there. Some of the entries are very creative. Check them out for yourself at the gallery. At the Auburn Promenade, Jimmy Robinson and friends were playing jazz music for passersby. Meanwhile, Scott Johnson and some of his friends were down at the Clocktower playing Irish tunes. Strolling, we bumped into Auburn Mayor Keith Nesbitt, former Placer County Agricultural Marketing Director Joanne Neft and her successor Nancyjo Riekse, California Welcome Center Director Jan Decker, Steve Galyardt and Leslie Maita, Bill and Nancie Radakovitz, Doug Horton, Michael and Beth Leydon and many others.
SENTINEL HAPPENINGS – The best way to get a press release for an event into the Sentinel is to send it via e-mail to
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at least two weeks in advance of the desired publication date (roughly three weeks prior to the event itself). Of course, publishing the press release all depends on available space. We’ve received a few phone calls from those wondering why their events didn’t get published and this is usually the reason. Hard copy press releases, especially those that are hand written, are less likely to be processed for publication. What about those folks who just send in a flyer for their event? Their chances of getting that info in the paper drop even more. Since the Sentinel is a community newspaper, we rely on the community to help us produce this paper, and that takes teamwork.
Don Chaddock is the executive editor of the Sentinel. He may be reached at 530-823-2463 or via e-mail at
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. His column, “Biscuits & Gravy,” publishes every week.
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