Photos by IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers TWIST AND PULL—Guy Glaus of Simi Valley tugs on a piece of rusty metal lodged in the Arroyo during the seventh annual Arroyo Cleanup on Saturday. Below, Simi residents Erik Hermansen and David Kern wrap a heavy-duty chain around an old rusted water heater. Hermansen used a power winch on the front of his jeep to drag the hunk of metal up the rocky walls of the waterway and haul it away. Among the junk retrieved were shopping carts, mattresses and furniture. Laura Lainfiesta wanted to sleep in Saturday morning, but her 14-year-old daughter, Becky, wouldn't allow it. Becky had other plans—she wanted to go down to the Arroyo Simi to help pick up trash that others had thoughtlessly left behind.

"She dragged me out here and sure enough, I'm having fun," Laura Lainfiesta said, holding a black garbage bag full of trash she found after picking through the creek bed's grass and rocks. "I'd probably still be sleeping in bed right now if she didn't get me up."

More than 550 others rose bright and early April 25 to participate in the neighborhood councils' seventh annual Arroyo Cleanup.

Together, they removed nearly 14½ tons of trash from the Tapo Canyon Road portion of the Arroyo—a 10-mile flood control channel that runs through Simi and Moorpark—and adjacent Meier Creek, said Mara Malch, neighborhood council coordinator.

Among the junk retrieved from the Arroyo were shopping carts, mattresses and mattress springs, tires, carpeting, furniture, clothes, pieces of metal, glass bottles, cigarette butts, fast-food wrappers and Styrofoam cups.

Malch said both the number of participants and the amount of trash picked up set records for the event, which is part of the Great American Cleanup, the nation's largest annual community involvement program.

While it was Lainfiesta's first time participating in the cleanup, Becky came last year, even though it took place on her birthday. The aspiring marine biologist said she first noticed all the garbage people were dumping into the Arroyo while bike riding with a friend.

"I don't think they understand how this is going to affect us in the future," said Becky, who attends Sinaloa Middle School. "Our oceans are going to be filled with garbage, (there will be) trash everywhere and no one to clean it up."

Gary Ovride said cleaning the Arroyo is like cleaning his own backyard because his house backs up to the creek.

"I ride my bike on it a lot," he said. "I've seen a lot of big tires and shopping carts and it's really nice we've gotten it out today."

While it's important to keep the Arroyo clean for aesthetic reasons, he said, it's also crucial for the ducks, egrets and other wildlife that call the creek home.

Anne Haack, a Simi resident of 18 years and a believer in keeping the environment clean, frequently picks up trash around the city. She said her pet peeve is when people walk by trash and don't bother to pick it up and throw it away.

"We need to take responsibility. Everybody needs to chip in," said the four-time Arroyo Cleanup participant. "I don't want to leave this world a pile of trash."

Of all the organizations and companies that had volunteers at the cleanup, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints had the largest presence, with about 225 people. Wearing yellow vests that said "Mormon Helping Hands," the LDS members could be seeing traipsing up and down the Arroyo.

Steve Luke was one of those who came out.

"For me, my wife runs through here and sometimes I ride next to her," said Luke, a Cleanup firsttimer. "It's kind of pretty down here but there's so much litter."

Akayla Kohlieber, who participated in the event alongside her mom and friends from an LDS young women's group, agreed.

"When you see the trash, it kind of makes you sad," said the 17year-old, who used to walk the Arroyo to get to Royal High School. "This could be a beautiful place."

Resident Debbie James said more education about the Arroyo's value and purpose is needed and making it a place people want to be could also curtail the abuse.

"There're no eyes on the Arroyo, so yeah, you're going to toss shopping carts and bottles," James said. "If you beautify it, it will probably help with less dumping of trash."

While participants had serious work to attend to collecting the garbage by the truckload, they still managed to have a good time.

"We were singing songs, we were hopping along the rocks. It was fun," 12yearold LDS member Analise Arnold said. "If you're going to live here, might as well clean it up."

Bill Graney, chair of Neighborhood Council No. 3, said he was impressed by the turnout and the dedication of community volunteers young and old.

"I've seen a lot of people working really hard. Some kids pulled out a shopping cart and a mattress," Graney said. "It was just this monumental effort pulling it out of the mud."

Though she lost some sleep, Lainfiesta said being a part of the cleanup was well worth it.

"It feels nice doing something for our community that you don't have to do," she said.