Our final month of the year brings about excitement to unveil our annual impact (coming soon), gratitude for achieving another year of community action and education, and a little bit of sadness that the year has come to a close. December can be a quieter and slower time out in the field with holiday gatherings and travel often taking priority. That said, more than 262 dedicated active members and volunteers still rallied to give back to their community and shared public spaces.

It’s because of your generous support that we can continue to do this work in 2026. Your gift allows us to purchase the supplies we need for cleanup and habitat restoration events, bring ocean education to Bay Area classrooms, and inspire people of all ages to take action for our planet. Will you be the air beneath our wings to help us soar into the new year?

Check out the results from some of our December 2025 events.

Rockaway Beach Cleanup

We had 39 excellent volunteers for our cleanup at Rockaway on a bright and sunny December morning.  The weather was absolutely perfect. Many volunteers came from far away schools, including Menlo Atherton, St. Francis, Carlmont H.S. Mission Maries, Burlingame, Oceana, Woodside Green Academy, Hillsdale, Homestead High, St. Catherine’s, Fremont Debate Academy, and Scouts Troop 321. Wow!

One group of motivated students came back with five full buckets of trash picked up close to Highway 1 that included a weird metal pointy thing. Volunteers also found a collection of fancy hangers and a big chunk of fishing tackle. This was also the biggest collection of butts we’ve seen in a long time.

• 39 volunteers
• 40 pounds of landfill trash
• 11 pounds of recyclables
• 1,750 cigarette filters

San Pedro Creek Cleanup

We had an amazing cleanup event at San Pedro Creek and welcomed many volunteers, including members of the Rotary Cub and Scouts from Troop 74.

In addition to three garbage bags of small trash, many large items were pulled out from the creek and adjacent area. This included three shopping carts, large plywood pieces, several poles that were stuffed into a culvert, and a curious bakery rack. One of the shopping carts looked like it had been thrown off the bridge; the Scouts trekked through the mud to pull it out. Another cart was thrown into the creek near the garbage cans by Soul Grind; we used a rope and hook to grapple it and pull it out. The bakery rack, plywood, and poles were in the sunken area near the garbage cans at the end of the San Pedro Creek trail, adjacent to Highway 1. This seems to be a popular dump site.

• 24 volunteers
• 465 pounds of landfill trash
• 6 pounds of recyclables
• 42 cigarette filters

Calera Creek Habitat Restoration

At Calera Creek Park, 13 volunteers did thorough, detailed weeding around open recreational areas and areas we have planted with natives. To improve neighborhood and park safety, we also cleared brush and branches that were extending into the roadway. We planted 91 California poppies, two coyote brush, one coffee berry, and one sage.

• 13 volunteers
• 2,000 pounds of green waste (weeds)
• 95 native plants planted

Linda Mar Beach Cleanup

The week before our cleanup was like a lot of others in the winter — up in the air, as the Bay Area prepared for a week of rain before the holiday season. Rain didn’t deter our intrepid PBC crew though, including Jim, Ana, Julie, Bill, Patrick, and teens MJ, Keaton, Shea, and our newest Pelican Squad teen Janie.

We had a small and mighty group of volunteers from far and wide, including students from South City, San Mateo, Fremont, YMSL, locals, and dog walkers who grabbed buckets and headed out into the soupy weather, being wary of huge waves and high tide this time. It was a great day to give back to the environment!

• 25 volunteers
• 52 pounds of landfill trash
• 5 pounds of recyclables
• 487 cigarette filters

Thornton Vista Cleanup and Habitat Restoration

A successful but very chilly cleanup at Thornton Vista! The find of the day was old crabbing equipment — and the knowledge that seabirds, fish, and mammals will be saved from its entrapment. Thank you to Daly City Public Works for watering and their continued support.

• 33 volunteers
• 39 pounds of landfill trash
• 9 pounds of recyclables
• 186 cigarette filters
• 125 pounds of green waste (weeds)
• 30 square yards mulched
• 16 native plants planted

Surfer’s/Harbor Beach Cleanup

We had a very small but cozy group of volunteers who came out to pick up trash at Pillar Point/Surfer’s Beach boat launch. Since this was a holiday weekend, the small crowd was expected. Those who joined us were gung-ho to pick up the trash that the week’s storm left behind. With the atmospheric river behind us, we were given the glorious experience of a morning of atmospheric sunshine. Gorgeous day for our last cleanup of 2025!

Our team, including Jack, Meena, Laurel, and Natalie the Naturalist, managed this crowd very nicely.

• 21 volunteers
• 64 pounds of landfill trash
• 13 pounds of recyclables
• 51 cigarette filters

Montara State Beach Cleanup

• 22 volunteers
• 30 pounds of landfill trash
• 8 pounds of recyclables
• 264 cigarette filters

Esplanade Beach Cleanup

• 27 volunteers
• 42 pounds of landfill trash
• 4 pounds of recyclables
• 506 cigarette filters

Foster City Cleanup

• 37 volunteers
• 37 pounds of landfill trash
• 8 pounds of recyclables
• 6,135 cigarette filters

Mussel Rock Cleanup and Habitat Restoration

• 21 volunteers
• 146 pounds of landfill trash
• 17 pounds of recyclables
• 151 cigarette filters
• 20 square yards mulched
• 22 native plants planted

Make an impact in 2026!

Are you ready to make a difference in the near year? We host cleanups and habitat restorations all year round. View our calendar of events and sign up for one (or more!) near you. Plus, our annual MLK, Jr. Day of Service cleanup and planting event is happening on January 17, 2026.