Saturday is Earth Day, and those interested in beautifying the planet can do their part by helping restore California’s state parks.

The California State Parks Foundation will be hosting its 19th annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup event at several parks throughout California, which in the past has drawn more than 80,000 volunteers to help repair fences, clean up beaches and rivers, install recycling bins and more. Locally, Benicia State Parks Association (BSPA) will be hosting this event at the Benicia State Recreation Area’s Forrest Deaner Native Plant Botanic Garden. The work will consist of weeding, planting and general cleanup as well as light upkeep.

“They’ll be digging holes for one-gallon potted plants,” BSPA spokesman Mike Caplin said.

The event will be presented by Pacific Gas & Electric and sponsored by Starbucks Coffee, The Nature Conservancy, Oracle, Microsoft and Intel.

The event will be held Saturday, April 22 at Benicia State Recreation Area, located at 1 State Park Road off Interstate 780. Check-in will begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by welcome remarks by BSPA President Carol Berman, Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, and Solano County Supervisor Monica Brown at 9 a.m. BSPA board member Norma Deaner will deliver a brief safety presentation, and work will begin around 9:30 a.m. The work is expected to conclude by 12:30 p.m.

Those interested in volunteering can register by calling (415) 262- 4400 or visiting calparks.org/earthday. For further information, visit protectbeniciastateparks.com or call 745-3385.

Sharing is caring!