On March 23rd, 2025, members from the Church of God in San Diego and Escondido volunteered together for the 8,642nd Worldwide Cleanup Campaign. They joined with the Public Works Office in Imperial Beach to clean and protect the wildlife habitat.
The 150 members along with Mayor Paloma Aguirre, Officer Wbaldo Arellano, and the Imperial Beach Parks and Rec gathered at the Bayshore Bikeway that runs along the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The goal for the clean up consisted of beautifying the Imperial Beach Bikeway area. They removed invasive plants and brush within 80 cubit yards, and picked up trash and debris in the surrounding areas.
Positive Impacts of the Environmental Clean Up
The efforts of the San Diego volunteers were essential and made a significant impact on their environment. The clean up supports the Blue Carbon Initiative and they aimed to improve the air quality and restore the habitat for the existing plant and animal species.
The Bayshore Bikeway is a beloved location by local neighbors and is a protected wildlife habitat. The city of Imperial Beach works to maintain it for the benefit of the local wildlife. Also they do their best to beautify the area as it is a high traffic area for residents and bicyclists.
The San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge is home to beautiful wildlife in San Diego Bay. There is a diversity of endangered, threatened, migratory and native species that needs to be safeguarded. Through the event, the members of the Church of God worked together to remove invasive plants that threaten the native species.
Shining God’s Light
As a result, all the volunteers had the heart and mind to shine God’s light through this clean up. They were able to collect 10 tons worth of invasive plants and trash.
The overall mood of the residents improved as they saw them actively involved in beautifying their community. The Imperial Beach Bayshore Bikeway clean up was highlighted and aired on Fox 5 San Diego.
Mayor Aguirre expressed her thanks to the volunteers for continuing to help beautify Imperial Beach. She stated that she will “come out next time and put in elbow grease” with the members too.
The Imperial Beach Environmental Officer, Wbaldo Arellano, expressed how the volunteers took care of a large area in such a short period of time. He explained that due to the lack of staff it is difficult to maintain the area. He appreciated the assistance from the members and mentioned that he looks forward to working with us again in the future.
The Church of God will continue to support environmental projects that benefits our neighbors in the future.
