To love the land you run is to care about the human and natural communities connected to it, care about its history, and care about its future, all while ensuring equitable access to it and its benefits.
OVERVIEW
Love the Land is inspired by our desire to do more for the places we love. Our local event will be focused on cleaning up and advocating for change in one of our favorite local areas, Santa Paula Canyon. This is more than just a trash clean up, it’s a collaboration and coming together of our local community to take action, advocate, and acknowledge what it means to respect and love our local public lands. Runners and hikers will combine forces to get into the backcountry to run, hike, haul, and learn about this beautiful place.
Run and Hike to clean up our local Santa Paula Canyon! Presented by Runners for Public Lands x Los Padres ForestWatch.
Santa Paula Canyon is one of the most heavily trafficked trails in the area and it needs our help to clean it up!
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
– 7:30am Arrive at Steckel Park for check-in!
– 8:00am Shuttles from Steckel Park to trailhead begin
– 8:30am Event starts
– 8:30am Runners/Hikers begin
– 10:30am Runners/Hikers head back to trailhead
– 11:30am-12:00pm Shuttles start back to Steckel Park
– 12:30pm-1:30pm Canyon Care 101 talk with Bryant “The Shrublander” Baker
– 1:30pm BYOPicnic and Beers from our own local Topa Topa!
THE RUN
Runners have the option to run between 4-6 miles, going deeper into the canyon to help clean up areas around the falls and other high-trash areas. Runners are provided with trash bags and will work together with hikers to haul back to our trash collection station. Detailed map to come! All levels and abilities welcome!
THE HIKE
Hikers have the option to hike between 2-4 miles, focusing on trash pick up along the earlier stretches of the trail. Hikers will join forces with runners to haul out trash from the main collection areas mid trail. Detailed map to come! All levels and abilities welcome!
CANYON CARE (12:30pm-1:30pm)
Stick around to learn from local LPFW expert, Bryant “The Shrublander” Baker!
– Let’s talk a little bit about leave no trace
– How to Advocate: for better policies that will keep beloved places like Santa Paula Canyon protected from dangerous oil drilling practices.
– Canyon Care 101: Education for sustainable use (love the land, but not too much)
– The Story of the Land: Acknowledgement and education for local community around the deep and troubling history of desecration and erasure of Chumash community.
WHAT TO BRING
*If we are experiencing inclement weather, we will notify all registered volunteers within 24 hours, and follow up with an additional date to volunteer!