“This is out of sight, out of mind,” said Dianna Poggetto, executive director of the American River Parkway Foundation, which oversees its programs, promotion and much of its upkeep. This has been particularly difficult work as homelessness here has expanded, and since February, when Emma Roark’s body was found within its boundaries. Public fear has grown. In March 2021, a coordinated volunteer cleanup effort filled seven dump trucks with trash, a total of three tons in three hours. Safe needle disposal boxes regularly overflow, the contents at times sticking cleanup volunteers. Hundreds of fires, mostly small ones, break out along its length each year from the camps. A bill introduced earlier this month at the Capitol would make it easier for local governments to clear parks such as this one. “If not for county maintenance and foundation volunteers, we’d be standing in a landfill,” Poggetto said. “Why would you want to see one of the great amenities of Sacramento destroyed?” Read More
The American River Parkway Foundation is holding its annual Spring Cleanup this Saturday, the foundation’s second largest clean-up of the year. The clean-up will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at eight locations along the Parkway. This coincides with the newly launched #LoveTheParkway Campaign, designed to engage the Sacramento region in the stewardship of the American River Parkway and encourage the community to explore the area. Community members can particpate in the interactive campaign through social media by sharing their stories about the Parkway and donating towards conservation efforts. Read More
Dianna Poggetto, the executive director of American River Parkway Foundation was among the volunteers. “We are so fortunate to have this 4,800-acre, 23-mile waterway in the middle of our urban core that we can ride bikes on, we can kayak, we can horseback ride, all of these things as well as have family picnics, that we don’t want to see that go away,” Poggetto explained. During the clean-up, Poggetto picked up a used syringe and dropped it into a plastic container. “So, I’m carrying that, so nobody gets stuck,” Poggetto said. Read More
The American River Parkway Foundation is calling on leaders from Sacramento County and the city of Sacramento to submit a plan by Mar. 31 for removing hundreds of unhoused individuals along the parkway. On Saturday, they hosted a clean-up event and invited leaders to the Northgate area to participate and see the damage caused by camping first-hand in what was once a clean and peaceful area. Read More
