Saguaro Lake Trash Removal Project with OdySea Aquarium

A few weeks ago, we spent a Saturday morning at Saguaro Lake with an awesome team of divers from Odysea Aquarium led by Ron Barbieri, Dive Safety Officer for Odysea Aquarium. They did an exploratory dive on the north side of the lake by the marina and let us know what kind of trash is collecting on the bottom of the lake. 

It was pretty sad to see the amount of trash they located in a short amount of time. They found a metal sign, a large traffic cone, a shoe, a styrofoam cup, sunglasses, a dive sock, a piece of boat decking, several golf balls, glass bottles, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, a ridiculous amount of fishing line, and more. Stay tuned as we continue to work with this amazing team of divers on upcoming projects.

Click HERE to see all of the pictures and stay tuned as we continue to work with this amazing team of divers on upcoming projects!

ExtremeTerrain's Clean Trail Initiative Program

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Check out this amazing opportunity through ExtremeTerrain.com's Clean Trail Grant Program that encourages the responsible recreational use of off-road trails. Get $250 for a trail improvement project!

More information about the grant can be found here: https://www.extremeterrain.com/clean-trail-initiative-program.html. Groups of 5 or more are welcome to apply! 

We recently applied for the Clean Trail Grant to fund the purchase of rakes for volunteers to use at our 2nd Annual Lower Sycamore OHV Area Cleanup on Saturday, October 21st, 2018, and at all future cleanups. Click HERE to register for the 10/21/18 Cleanup and we will send you additional details as we get closer to October.

Don't miss out on this opportunity! More information about the grant can be found here: https://www.extremeterrain.com/clean-trail-initiative-program.html.

Earth Day 2018 - Fossil Springs Cleanup with Mountain Chicks

Check out this awesome video! We celebrated Earth Day and the 3rd Anniversary of our first Natural Restorations Cleanup by partnering with the Arizona Chapter of Mountain Chicks for a Fossil Springs Cleanup on Sunday, April 22nd, 2018. We hiked Fossil Springs Trail with an amazing group of volunteers, picking up 71.65 pounds of scattered trash found along the trail, at the Springs, and at several swimming holes. Click HERE to check out all of the pictures and learn more about this amazing adventure!

Donate Your Old Car, Truck, or RV and Help Natural Restorations at the Same Time!

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A free, convenient service for converting that extra car, truck, or RV into a tax deductible donation benefiting Natural Restorations.

You can donate online (click HERE) or call 877-999-8322 to make your donation. 

Don't donate your car or truck to some charity you have never heard of. V-Dac's trusted service makes sure your vehicle is properly handled so you get your tax deduction and Natural Restorations gets the benefit of your donation. 

Start now by clicking HERE. If you are not ready to donate, find out about donating your vehicle by browsing all the valuable information and links on V-Dac's site. 

Click HERE to learn more or call 1-877-999-8322.

Thank You SRP!

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We would like to thank everyone at Salt River Project (SRP) for awarding Natural Restorations with a corporate contribution of operating support for our programs for the second year in a row! We are extremely proud to continue our partnership with SRP! 

As a community based, nonprofit public power utility, SRP makes corporate contributions to nonprofit organizations that provide programs and services which meet the needs of their customers and enhance the quality of life we enjoy. They are steadfast in their commitment to partner with nonprofit organizations that provide meaningful and beneficial programs to their customers and community. 

Thank you, SRP, for recognizing the value of the programs we provide! We are excited to continue growing our relationship and providing volunteer opportunities for SRP employees and their families.

More than 3,168 sq ft of Graffiti Removed

Did you know we've removed more than 3,168 square feet of graffiti painted on rock faces in outdoor recreation and wilderness areas across the state?⠀

We recently updated the Graffiti Removal page on our website. Click the blue link to check out before and after pictures of projects at Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona, the Beardsley Boulder Pile in Phoenix, and Bulldog Canyon, Lower Sycamore, Mesquite Wash on the Tonto National Forest.⠀

If you come across graffiti painted on rock faces in outdoor recreation or wilderness areas, please let us know rather than attempting removal by yourself.⠀⠀
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We proudly use an EcoBlaster Portable Pressure Washer and Graffiti Remover from World's Best Graffiti Removers.⠀⠀

If you would like to contribute to future graffiti removal projects, click HERE make a tax-deductible donation. ⠀

04/18/18 Lilly's Global Plastics Pickup

Happy 10th Birthday to our friend Lilly from Lilly's Plastics Pickup! In honor of Lilly's birthday on April 18th and to celebrate Lilly's Global Birthday Plastic Pickup Day we went for a walk along the canal by our house and filled a bag with 30.3 pounds of trash and plastics in 30 minutes. ⠀

It was pretty disturbing how much trash we found in such a short amount of time. We found plastic, fishing line, food wrappers and plastic food containers, fishing line, beer cans and glass bottles, a hat, a broken VHS tape, lots of plastic bags that were either in the water or half buried in the dirt and more!⠀

We would like to encourage everyone to take 30 minutes to an hour, go for a walk around your neighborhood or local park, and see the impact you can make in a short amount of time. Be sure to tag #lillysglobalcleaupdayand #naturalrestorations ⠀
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Lilly is 10 years old and lives in the Netherlands. Not only does she pick up trash and plastics in her area, she also spreads global awareness of the trash and plastics problem and brings a lot of attention to the negative impacts plastics and trash have on wildlife. Lilly is a huge source of inspiration to us! Check out her Facebook and Instagram accounts and we know you'll be inspired too!⠀

Shout out to American Rivers for their support of our cleanups of waterways!

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Natural Restorations Recognized by U.S. Forest Service

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Saturday, March 10th, while we were removing graffiti at the Beardsley Boulder Pile for the Trim Beardsley 2018 Event, we missed the U.S. Forest Service Tonto National Forest Volunteer Appreciation Potluck.⠀

We received a U.S. Forest Service National Citizen Stewardship & Partnership Award for being a valuable member of the award-winning Tonto National Forest South Zone Volunteer Program. 

Thank you to the Mesa Ranger District for presenting us with a Bronze Challenge Coin for achieving a bronze level length of service by completing over 5,000 hours for the Tonto National Forest - Mesa Ranger District.⠀

We would like to thank everyone at the U.S. Forest Service Tonto National Forest for their continued support of our program. It is a pleasure to work with all of you! Thank you to our Dedicated Restoration Team and all of the volunteers who come out to our events and make a significant impact! Thank you for the awards, bronze challenge coin, the Partner in Service patch, and water bottles!⠀
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Increase Your Impact, Reduce Your Use of Plastics

***Not a sponsored ad. We personally purchased these products and wanted to share our opinion and how we use them in our everyday lives to reduce our use of plastics.***

We are on a mission to reduce the amount of plastics we use for Natural Restorations and in our personal lives. We started by taking coolers full of water to our volunteer events and asking volunteers to bring reusable water bottles and hydration backpacks to cut down on the number of single-use plastics used at our events. 

In January, we made a personal commitment to do more to reduce the amount of plastic we use. We quickly became overwhelmed with how many changes we needed to make or products we needed to give up if we wanted to made a real change. We decided rather than do nothing because we are trying to do everything, we would pick 3 ways we could immediately make a chance and then continue making a few changes each month. 

The first 3 we picked were plastic produce bags, plastic toothbrushes, and razors/razor blades. The items listed below are the products we purchased using our Amazon Smile account so that 0.5% of the purchase will be donated back to Natural Restorations. 

Bamboo Tooth Brushes ($11.99) - click HERE to view on Amazon. 

Twist Open Shaver ($13.95) - click HERE to view on Amazon.

Viking Blade 50 Count Platinum Coated Super Blades ($14.97) - click HERE to view on Amazon.

Earthwise Reusable Mesh Produce Bags - Set of 9 ($11.97) - Click HERE to view on Amazon.

Support Natural Restorations when you shop for everyday purchases on Amazon! You can support Natural Restorations each time you make a purchase on Amazon through smile.amazon.com, and it is at no cost to you!

Click this link: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4745055

Remember, always start at smile.amazon.com
and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Natural Restorations. Thank you for your support!

We Reached Our Goal!

WE DID IT! Thank you to everyone who donated to the Beardsley Boulders Graffiti Removal Fundraiser! We are grateful for your generosity and support! We cannot wait to start the graffiti removal this Saturday during the Trim Beardsley 2018 Cleanup Project. 

Huge thanks to Scott McDaniel from REI for working so hard to help raise funds and promote the event! It has been amazing to see so much support from the climbing community. 

Stay tuned for updates as the project progresses and we restore the Beardsley Boulder Pile to it's natural beauty!

Beardsley Boulder Graffiti Removal Fundraiser

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Help us raise $2,500 to purchase the supplies needed to restore the Beardsley Boulders to their natural beauty by removing the graffiti and coverup paint. Any and every donation helps!

Due to the sheer volume of coverup paint found on countless boulders in the Pencil Thin/Monkey Lust area, and the time/material-consuming meticulousness which removing it demands, the scope of graffiti removal quickly grew much bigger than our initial expectations. That's why we're reaching out to the community, and asking for your help in raising the funds necessary to promote a lasting impact on the Beardsley Boulder Pile. 

Click HERE to learn more about the project and donate. Thank you for your support!

Increase Your Impact, Reduce Your Use of Plastics

***Not a sponsored ad. We personally purchased these products and wanted to share our opinion and how we use them in our everyday lives to reduce our use of plastics.***

We are on a mission to reduce the amount of plastics we use for Natural Restorations and in our personal lives. We started by taking coolers full of water to our volunteer events and asking volunteers to bring reusable water bottles and hydration backpacks to cut down on the number of single-use plastics used at our events. 

In January, we made a personal commitment to do more to reduce the amount of plastic we use. We quickly became overwhelmed with how many changes we needed to make or products we needed to give up if we wanted to made a real change. We decided rather than do nothing because we are trying to do everything, we would pick 3 ways we could immediately make a chance and then continue making a few changes each month. 

The first 3 we picked were plastic produce bags, plastic toothbrushes, and razors/razor blades. The items listed below are the products we purchased using our Amazon Smile account so that 0.5% of the purchase will be donated back to Natural Restorations. 

Bamboo Tooth Brushes ($11.99) - click HERE to view on Amazon. 

Twist Open Shaver ($13.95) - click HERE to view on Amazon.

Viking Blade 50 Count Platinum Coated Super Blades ($14.97) - click HERE to view on Amazon.

Earthwise Reusable Mesh Produce Bags - Set of 9 ($11.97) - Click HERE to view on Amazon.

Support Natural Restorations when you shop for everyday purchases on Amazon! You can support Natural Restorations each time you make a purchase on Amazon through smile.amazon.com, and it is at no cost to you!

Click this link: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4745055

Remember, always start at smile.amazon.com
and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Natural Restorations. Thank you for your support!

02/17/18 Lower Salt River Cleanup Video

Check out this amazing video made by Milo LeBaron from LeBaron & Carroll Insurance, one of our proud sponsors. This video is from our 02/17/18 Lower Salt River Land & Water Cleanup Event. 

Stay tuned, we are putting a webpage together with all of the pictures and videos from the event. 

Join us at our next Salt River Cleanup on Monday, April 2nd form 8AM to 12PM at Phon D Sutton Recreation Area. Click HERE to register and we will send you all of the details. 

Trail Cleanup on the Tonto National Forest

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We hosted a small cleanup on February 10th, 2018 on the Tonto National Forest - Mesa Ranger District. Not all of our cleanup events require large groups of volunteers, this was one of them. We teamed up with our friend, Mica Harkins, to bring a small group of volunteers out to a site along Bush Highway between Butcher Jones and the Bee-Line to remove 1,045 pounds of trash and six tires.

Click HERE to see all of the pictures and to watch a video we put together. 

Click HERE to join us at our next event. 

Santa Cruz River Cleanup in Tucson

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We hosted hosted our first Tucson cleanup along the Santa Cruz River from Camino Del Cerro to Sunset Road, on Saturday, February 3, 2018. 

120 volunteers, including 69 youth volunteers, helped us make a significant impact on the Santa Cruz River yesterday! 

Volunteers helped us remove 78 tires, 2 shopping carts, and we filled a 40 yard dumpster full of trash. We will have the dumpster weight in early March and will update this page. 

Check out all of the pictures HERE. 

Join us at an upcoming event, click HERE.

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Natural Restorations Receives Donation From Local Organizations

Left to right: CopperPoint President & CEO Marc Schmittlein; Milo LeBaron III, Principal; Natural Restorations Director of Field Operations ; and Natural Restorations Executive Director Nicole Corey.

We would like to thank everyone at CopperPoint Insurance Companies and LeBaron & Carroll LLC for presenting Natural Restorations with a $5,000 donation. We are excited to grow our relationship with both of these organizations and continue to provide volunteer opportunities for their employees and families. We are honored to have our program recognized by these two wonderful organizations. 

Giving back is an integral part of CopperPoint Insurance Companies and its workforce. CopperPoint believes corporate responsibility requires active engagement in the communities they serve through sponsorship, economic development and employee involvement. CopperPoint's focused philanthropy is an investment in Arizona and its future. 

LeBaron & Carroll LLC is making a difference in the community, in the workplace, and in people's lives. We are grateful to Milo and his team for their commitment to partnering with organizations that provide meaningful and beneficial programs to their customers and the community. Thank you for your continued support!