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Last year was one of change for the American River Parkway Foundation. At the request of our supporters, we took a more proactive approach regarding addressing illegal camping on the American River Parkway. Since submission of our Demand Letter in January 2022, we have pushed forward, bringing greater attention to the issue. This has led to media coverage locally and nationally, increased effort by local elected officials and municipal staff to address the issue, and funding locally and from the state focused on mitigating the impact of illegal camping. See the Full Timeline of Our Actions We are proud of what we have achieved, but none of this would have been possible without the support of the community. This includes members of the Voice of the Parkway Coalition – comprised of concerned Parkway users, businesses, corporations and organizations – advocating for the conservation of the Parkway. But our work was not limited to just our public affairs efforts. We have also made great strides in addressing the fire danger on the Parkway. Our Parkway Fire Safe Council has worked together to begin developing plans for mitigation. This includes the creation of a community wildfire protection plan – funded in entirety by the Parkway Foundation – that will identify areas for fire breaks, restoration and mitigation. This will allow all Parkway stakeholders to seek more funding to address fire issues on the Parkway. Our volunteer programs also continued to have a growing impact. Over 4,400 volunteers spent more than 13,600 hours on direct conservation of the Parkway, including clean-ups, invasive plant removal, trail maintenance and more. This is done through work with individuals, groups, families, businesses and others interested in conservation, project ownership, team building, family bonding and community service. (See list of accomplishments below.) With your help, the new year will bring more accomplishments. In 2023, look for the Parkway Foundation to: Replace the mile marker signs on the Parkway with new, more informative directional signage. Continued conservation of the Parkway through our volunteer programs, especially addressing impacts from flooding during this stormy period. Continue development of the community wildfire protection plan. Continue to educate the community about the Parkway. Continue to work with local elected officials and County and City leaders to secure land for shelter spaces and push for wrap-around services. Continue to invest in the Parkway through the TEICHERT-Parkway Fund, which is contributing $100,000 in 2023 to projects that will revitalize the Parkway from Cal Expo to Discovery Park. Thank you for being a part of this vital mission through volunteering, financial support and helping to spread the word about the beauty of the Parkway. Together we can continue in our mission to lead and inspire the community to conserve and nurture the Parkway as a unique, accessible resource for everyone to enjoy. Dianna Poggetto Executive Director, American River Parkway Continue Reading

Thank you to everyone who participated in Run the Parkway.   See the recap video!More than 1,100 runners attended, helping to raise $30,000 for conservation of the Parkway. Run the Parkway is the official training run for the California International Marathon with 3 course options: marathon, half-marathon and scenic nature walk. It was an exciting morning watching and cheering for the race participants and being there at the finish line as they received their medals. Putting on the event would not have been possible with the 120+ volunteers who arrived early and stayed late to help with every part of the event. Thank you for taking your Sunday morning to help. We also want to thank the sponsors and vendors for their support: Sponsors Elite Spinal & Sport Care Fleet Feet Sacramento GU Nuun Raley’s Vendors Black Sails Coffee Sacramento River Cats & Dinger SMUD Visit Rancho Cordova We’ll see you next year, November 5, 2023, for Run the Parkway! Continue Reading

Thank you to everyone who participated in Ride the Parkway! We had a great time at the 19th Annual Ride the Parkway event. Here’s a recap of the event: Thank you to everyone who made it possible, including our volunteers, riders, families, vendors and our sponsors: Lid SponsorsPacosSKK DevelopmentsFender SponsorsBoutin JonesCAL LightingDokken EngineeringEye Site SacramentoHarris & SloanLaser & Skin Surgery Center of Northern CaliforniaMogavero ArchitectsPacific NeonSacramento Bike HikersRest Stop SponsorsLighting SystemsOak Park Massage ClinicPeak AdventuresPerfect UnionSacramento WheelmenVisit Rancho CordovaIn-Kind SponsorsNew Belgium BrewingREIRiver City BrewingTwo Rivers Cider Company   Stay tuned for Ride the Parkway 2023!It will be the 20th Anniversary, so you know we’re going big. Details to come. Continue Reading

When will enough be enough?That is the question we’ve been asking officials and Supervisors with the County of Sacramento since submitting our Demand Letter in January. Over the past three years, the illegal camping situation has worsened with more than 2,000 campers now living on the Parkway. That has led to a deterioration in environmental, public health and humanitarian conditions, which has a devastating effect on the Parkway and the people living on it. We need your help pressing our leaders for answers and solutions! County Supervisors hold regular public meetings and we encourage you to attend and ask: What is the timeline for establishing more shelter space, especially for those living on the Parkway? How will the $25 million that is coming from the state be allocated to benefit the Parkway? What is the plan for using the federal funding from the America Rescue Plan? We now have ordinances in the County that prevent illegal camping on the Parkway. When will they be enforced? Millions of dollars are being allocated to address homelessness in the County. Where are the results? Where are the shelters? What is the latest on the partnership with the City of Sacramento, including the signing of the MOU? The next opportunity is Sup. Rich Desmond’s community meeting tomorrow night (Oct. 6) at 6 p.m. It’s taking place at the Gibbons Park, Mission Oaks Community Center located at:                4701 Gibbons Drive               Carmichael, CA 95608 Please attend and make your voice heard! Continue Reading

  Thank you to everyone who helped make the Great American River Clean-Up a success this year!   1,308 Participants 41,245 Pounds of Trash Over 30 Pounds Per Person   Removing trash from the American River Parkway has tremendous environmental benefits. It reduces the amount of pollutants – like battery acid, microplastics and Styrofoam – that enter the environment, decreases the amount of trash in our waterways, protects water quality and removes hazards that are a danger to wildlife. This year’s event was held at more than 20 locations along the Parkway. Some of the more interesting things found during the clean-up include dentures, a pellet rifle, a car door and a hand forklift. The Great American River Clean-Up is held during the California Coastal Cleanup, a larger statewide effort to clean our waterways. The event takes place every September.   Thank you to our sponsors. Carmichael Water District Gold River Community Association Sacramento Suburban Water District SMUD   Thank you to our volunteer groups representing: American Heritage Girls Troop CA1271 Butterfield Riviera East Community Association California Conservation Corps Capital Tech Solutions El Parkis Youth Group Five Star Bank Fort Sutter Professional Engineers in California Government (PECG) Girl Scout Troop 4028 Jackson Labs Pepperdine Sacramento Waves Rotary Club of Arden-Arcade Rotary Club of Sacramento Rhombus Sac State Softball Team Sac State Student Environmental Organization Sacramento Picks It Up Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps Scout Troop 8 Scout Troop 447 Target Tzu Chi USA Sacramento Service Center UC Davis Law Students Association Union Sacramento FC United Way California Capital Region Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento And thank you to all of the individuals, families and other groups that gave up part of their weekend to help our Parkway. Without your support, we would not have been able to accomplish what we did. See the full press release for more details and photos. Continue Reading