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Program Requirements

The basics
The requirements for adopting a creek are minimal. There are no fees involved and we ask only that you do the following:

  1. Adopt a creek for a two-year period. Permits are valid for two years.
  2. Contact the [email protected] or (408) 630-2333., at least 10 days prior to your scheduled creek cleanup.
  3. Hold a minimum of two creek cleanup days per year for your adopted creek area.
  4. Comply with all posted signs and warnings.
  5. Review and follow the safety tips for your creek cleanup day.
  6. Have FUN during your cleanup!

Recommended group size and area to adopt
You can have as few as one or as many as 100 people in your group. The choice is yours. Whatever the size of your group, we recommend that you adopt approximately 100 feet of creek area per person.

Whom to invite to join your group
We find that each group who adopts a creek is unique in its volunteer membership. Some consist of family members, some include colleagues at a place of work while others are made up of friends and neighbors. Your most important consideration should be to find people who will commit to cleaning your creek twice a year and with whom you'll enjoy spending time.

Limits to adopting a creek
There may be some areas of creek that are not available for adoption due to the following reasons:

  • The particular area of creek that you have chosen has already been adopted or
  • The area of creek you have selected is on private property and the owner has not given permission to access the creek through their property.

In both cases, we will work with you to identify another area similar to your choice that you can adopt.