PG&E and California State Parks Foundation Join Efforts for Earth Day
April 23 2009 - 5:21PM
PR Newswire (US)
Utility Offers Cash Grant, Employees Volunteer for 16 Park
Restoration Projects SAN FRANCISCO, April, 23
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company
(PG&E) is joining the California State Parks Foundation (CSPF)
on Saturday, April 25, to celebrate Earth Day and clean up and
restore 16 parks in Northern and Central California. PG&E is
granting $170,000 to CSPF to help fund these events, and more than
1,000 company employees, retirees and their families are expected
to participate in volunteer efforts. "PG&E has a proud history
of environmental initiatives and contributions and we are honored
to partner with the California State Parks Foundation once again to
improve our parks," said Peter A. Darbee, President and CEO of
Pacific Gas and Electric Company. "Thousands of our employees have
volunteered over the years to better their communities and the
environment. We look forward to building upon those efforts this
Earth Day as we work to restore these scenic areas." This year
marks the eighth consecutive year that PG&E has partnered with
CSPF on the Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup program. Overall,
PG&E has granted more than $850,000 to fund vital maintenance
and improvement projects at California's parks with more than 5,000
PG&E employees contributing thousands of volunteer hours. At 16
park sites on April 25, PG&E volunteers will clean up the
shoreline, plant trees and shrubs, remove invasive non-native
plants, clear trash and debris, and make other improvements, such
as painting over graffiti and installing an irrigation system.
"Now, more than ever, it is important to be involved with Earth Day
programs across the state," said Elizabeth Goldstein, president of
the California State Parks Foundation. "PG&E's support of Earth
Day over the years, including the impressive participation of their
employee volunteers, helps CSPF complete park projects and protect
California's historic and natural treasures." The CSPF celebrates
the 12th anniversary of the Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup
Program on April 25. Since its inception in 1998, the CSPF Earth
Day program has had tremendous impact: 63,000 participants have
contributed more than 265,000 volunteer hours worth an estimated
$5,250,000 in park maintenance and improvements. Including this
year's grants, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.1 million to
parks throughout California. On Saturday, April 25, PG&E
employee volunteers, retirees, and their families will join the
CSPF at the following 16 locations: PARK TIME PROJECTS Martin
Luther King Jr. 9:00 am to Noon Shoreline cleanup, trail Regional
Shoreline litter abatement and non- Alameda County native plant
removal Mt. Diablo State Park 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Removal of exotic
plants, Contra Costa County native plant restoration, trail
maintenance, litter pickup and fence installation Millerton Lake
State 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Clearing of invasive non- Recreation Area
native plants, Fresno/Madera County landscaping, waterfront and
park cleanup and fish habitat restoration Patrick's Point State
9:00 am to 1:00 pm Habitat restoration, Humboldt County Park
removal of weeds and invasive plants The Park at Riverwalk 8:00 am
to 1:00 pm Habitat restoration, Kern County tree planting,
installation of tree guards to protect young trees from animal
damage Angel Island State Park 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Beach cleanup,
vegetation Marin County management, drainage and culvert
maintenance and exotic plant removal Samuel P. Taylor 9:00 am to
1:00 pm Trail repair and cleanup, State Park fence repair and
litter Marin County removal The Big River Unit of 11:00 am to 4:00
pm Invasive plant removal Mendocino Headlands State Park Mendocino
County Auburn State 8:00 am to 1:00 pm Park clean up, remove
Recreation Area vehicles and debris from Placer County the canyons,
install park benches along hiking trails and paint over graffiti
Folsom Lake State 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Removal of vegetation
Recreation Area around historic Sacramento County structures and
major trash cleanup along historic canal trail that runs along the
American River Candlestick Point 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Planting,
mulching, State Recreation Area habitat restoration, San Francisco
County native plant propagation, garden repair and nursery
improvements Caswell Memorial 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Native rose and
State Park California blackberry San Joaquin County planting,
removal of non- native plants, trail maintenance and litter pickup
Montana de Oro State 8:30 am to 1:00 pm Trail maintenance, Park
rehabilitation, San Luis Obispo County brushing, trimming and
litter pickup Coast Dairies State 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Habitat
restoration, Park removal of invasive Santa Cruz County plants and
a full-scale cleanup of Laguna Beach Shasta State Historic 9:00 am
to 1:00 pm Remove overgrown Park vegetation and Shasta County
invasive species, build a fuel break to protect the park from
wildland fire Clarksburg River 8:30 am to 1:00 pm Install
irrigation system Access Facility to help establish native Yolo
County plants, pick up trash along riverbank For more information
on the volunteer project sites, please visit the CSPF website at
http://www.calparks.org/programs/earth-day/ed09-project-sites.html.
About Pacific Gas and Electric Company Pacific Gas and Electric
Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG), is one
of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the
United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the
company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million
people in northern and central California. For more information,
visit http://www.pge.com/about/. DATASOURCE: Pacific Gas and
Electric Company CONTACT: PG&E External Communications,
+1-415-973-5930; Julia Spiess, +1-530-601-8282, , or Sarah Sheehy,
+1-310-779-6860, , both of California State Parks Foundation Web
Site: http://www.pgecorp.com/index.shtml
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