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American River Parkway Foundation reports drop in trash collected, growth in volunteer invasive‑plant work
Summary
The American River Parkway Foundation reported a sharp drop in trash collected between 2023 and 2024 and highlighted volunteer contributions, invasive‑plant removals, outdoor education and ongoing work on wildfire planning and restroom permitting at the Riverbend education site.
Diana Pajetto, executive director of the American River Parkway Foundation, presented the foundation’s annual report to the Sacramento County Recreation and Parks Commission at its Feb. 24 meeting, detailing volunteer efforts, restoration projects and educational programs on the American River Parkway.
The key figures: Pajetto said foundation volunteers logged 5,514 events in 2024 for a total of about 16,340 hours. The foundation reported collecting 100,000 pounds of trash in 2023 and 44,000 pounds in 2024 — a reduction the foundation described as encouraging because it allows volunteers to focus on habitat projects rather than litter removal. The foundation also reported removing roughly 112,293 invasive plants last year and running a 20‑member invasive‑plant patrol that maps removals and estimates treated acreage.
Programs and partnerships: Pajetto described core programs — trail maintenance, invasive‑plant removal, tribute benches and tables, and the Riverbend Outdoor Education site. The foundation said it clears equestrian multi‑use trails (the foundation noted the parkway’s equestrian trails span roughly 30 miles), replaced eight decaying picnic tables with new concrete tables last year, and funded the Riverbend outdoor education facility, a 10‑acre site used for Title I school field trips in partnership with the Sacramento County Office of Education. Pajetto said the foundation raises about $100,000 a year to subsidize those school visits and that 60.8% of county schools qualify as Title I.
Wildfire and future work: the foundation described a Fire Safe Council it formed in 2021 and work on a Community Wildfire Protection Plan for the Parkway. Pajetto said the group hired a consulting firm and anticipates the plan will move through Board of Supervisors review and then to Cal Fire, which would open opportunities for state and federal grant funding for fuels reduction work along the Parkway.
What the commission heard: commissioners thanked the foundation for volunteer efforts and asked about the reasons for the drop in trash weight between 2023 and 2024; Pajetto attributed the decrease to fewer large encampments and to other agencies doing cleanup work in addition to the foundation’s efforts. Commissioners also praised the foundation’s education program and the invasive‑plant work.
Background and next steps: Pajetto said the foundation is operating under a 25‑year memorandum of understanding with the county and that Riverbend restroom permitting is in its fourth year of the permit process; she said the foundation has already raised the money for restrooms and hopes to complete permitting this year. Commissioners said they appreciated the annual update.
Quotes from the meeting: “Last year we had 5,514 volunteers out on the parkway for a total of 16,340 hours,” Pajetto said. She added: “In 2023 we picked up over 100,000 pounds. In 2024 we only picked up 44,000 pounds.”
Pajetto also noted the foundation’s stewardship role: the foundation is custodian of the Tigard Parkway Fund — grants derived from local mining‑related development agreements — and plans another round of competitive grants in March for projects on the Parkway.
