Eighth Annual “Yosemite Facelift” Volunteer Event to be Held in Yosemite National Park September 21-25, 2011

Date: September 13, 2011

Yosemite National Park and the Yosemite Climbing Association invite the public to participate in the "Yosemite Facelift" being held on Wednesday, September 21 through Sunday, September 25, 2010. This annual event is organized by the Yosemite Climbing Association to help clean up the park after the busy summer season. Volunteers are needed to help pick up litter at various locations in the park, including roadways, in the river corridor, on trails, near climbing routes, and in parking, camping, and lodging areas. Events and presentations honoring Yosemite's climbing history will be held throughout the weekend.

Last year, over 1,000 Yosemite Facelift volunteers collected 172,307 pounds of trash, with over 140,000 pounds of it being old asphalt and concrete. Over 80 percent of the trash collected was recycled. More than 160 miles of roadway were cleaned, as well as over 100 miles of trails and 20 miles of river corridor.

Interested volunteers should sign up at the booth in front of the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 21st through Sunday, September 25th. A second check-in station will be located at Lembert Dome Parking Area in Tuolumne Meadows. The Tuolumne Meadows booth will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. from Friday, September 23rd through Sunday, September 25th. Crew leaders will be at the booths to organize work groups and hand out trash bags, gloves, and litter sticks. Trash must be returned to the booths each day by 5:00 p.m. to be weighed and sorted.  

Each participant will receive a raffle ticket for every day they volunteer. There will be a raffle held each day of the event at the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center booth at 5:00 p.m. An end of event reception will be held on Sunday, September 25th, and will include complimentary food and beverages, and live music by Little Brother.

For more information and a complete schedule of events, please contact Ken Yager at [e-mail] or visit the Yosemite Climbing Association website at www.yosemiteclimbing.org.

Individuals who are unable to participate during the cleanup, but would still like to help, may make a tax deductible donation to help pay for costs associated with the cleanup effort. Donations can be made to the Yosemite Climbing Association at P.O. Box 89 Yosemite, California 95389.