Volunteers are encouraged to help maintain the beauty of California’s treasured state parks 19 environmental improvement projects Saturday, April 14. The effort is hosted by the California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) hosts as part of its 15th Annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup and presented by PG&E.

This year, in celebration of this milestone anniversary, CSPF is providing grants up to $15,000 (a combination of cash grants and in-kind donations) to parks, allowing for the completion of larger projects that would otherwise be placed on the state’s maintenance backlog. As state park closures due to budget cuts continue, volunteers are more important than ever to keep the parks clean and safe for all to enjoy.

“For 15 years, the Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup has brought communities together to beautify and preserve California’s state parks,” said Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the California State Parks Foundation. “We value and thank PG&E, Edison International and all the sponsors and volunteers that support Earth Day this year and in the past. We could not do this without their contributions. Our treasured state parks need this yearly cleanup, especially at a time when environmental improvement and maintenance projects are significantly delayed or eliminated due to continued budget challenges.”

With these large grants, thousands of volunteers statewide will make overdue repairs and renovations including trail maintenance, building and installing railing and walls, historic water wheel restoration and campfire center improvements. Volunteers will also plant native trees and community gardens, restore wildlife habitat, update interpretative displays and remove trash from beaches and parklands.

Since 1998, CSPF’s Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup program has made a tremendous impact: More than 76,000 participants have contributed more than 318,000 volunteer hours worth nearly $6.1 million of park maintenance and improvements. More than $4 million has been raised for the Earth Day program throughout California.

“As one of California’s largest land owners, PG&E has a deep commitment to protecting and preserving our state’s natural beauty,” said Greg Pruett, PG&E senior vice president and chairman of the board of PG&E Corporation Foundation. “We are proud to support state parks in the communities we serve and are pleased to be the statewide presenting sponsor for an 11th consecutive year.”

Check-in time for the Mt. Diablo State Park project is 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. The project runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. To volunteer, call State Park Peace Officer Dan Stefanisko at 925-855-1730 or e-mail dstefanisko@parks.ca.gov.

To further aid the Contra Costa community, volunteers are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to the project site on Earth Day. The donations benefit the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Counties.

For a complete list of project sites statewide and to register, or call the Earth Day hotline at 888-98-PARKS or visit calparks.org/earthday. Space is limited, and registration is required. Parking fees are waived for Earth Day volunteers.