Last Updated on June 10, 2023

On January 14th, 2023, the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreational Area (ISDRA) held its 25th annual cleanup event, drawing in hundreds of participants from Imperial County and surrounding areas. The event, which is a tradition that has been ongoing for over two decades, saw individuals coming together to clean up and preserve the natural beauty of the Algodones Dunes, located east of Holtville.

Algodones Dunes, Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area
Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area

The cleanup took place at ten different locations within the dunes, with Glamis Flats and Gordon’s Well serving as the main hub for the northern and southern regions respectively. Chris Visconti, who has been the Master of Ceremonies for the ISDRA Cleanup for the past 19 years, shared that the event has remained relatively unchanged over the years, with people traveling from all over Southern California and Arizona to take part in the cleanup.

“Every year on the same weekend – always Martin Luther King Day weekend – those of us who use the desert come together to give a little love back to it by cleaning it up,” Visconti said.

The cleanup ended around noon, with everyone gathering at the main hubs for lunch, music, and raffles for both children and adults, which were sponsored by more than 20 donors. 928X Garages Motorsports, a first-time participant in the event, donated a brand new bike set for the children’s raffle and a Grizzly cooler with custom hats and tumblers for the adults.

The Imperial Sand Dunes Recreational Area, also known as Glamis, is a popular spot for off-highway vehicle recreation and boasts one of the country’s largest formations of inland sand dunes. The area spans 40 miles long and 5 miles wide, and is open to the public from October to April, with seasonal or weekly use permits required for all vehicles entering the area.

The ISDRA Cleanup serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving and maintaining the natural beauty of our public lands, and the positive impact that can be made by coming together as a community.


Read also: Sandboarding in California’s Mojave Desert

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