PHOTO: The image above was taken on a previous River Discovery trip on the Willamette in Portland Harbor when we paddled past the US Navy Hospital Ship "Mercy," now docked in LA in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ship offers 1000 hospital beds, and is sent disaster areas around the world.
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Hello Willamette River Friends,
Wow, what a time we are all experiencing right now.
Given the Corona virus situation, we are all working from home like millions of other people. Thankfully, we can still get a lot done as we wait out this pandemic, and take all of the necessary precautionary measures. In some cases it has spurred us all to become even more creative, whether with our work, or how to continue education for our kids.
We are working to stay on track, fighting for clean water and healthy habitat for the Willamette River. In the past two weeks, we have:
- Provided an amended version of our 60-day notice to the Oregon State Marine Board and Department of State Lands, this time including the Department of Environmental Quality for water quality violations
- Submitted a detailed Freedom of Information Act request to the US Army Corps of Engineers related to some issues with their dams
- Submitted comments to the Oregon Department of Transportation with a few others related to stormwater
- Secured a purchase agreement for a modest conservation and Water Trail property in the Newberg Pool area
- Continued planning for our large cleanup and paddle events, with a good dose of contingency planning
Of course, we’ve all been thinking about staying afloat in this uncertain economic time, something that has been weighing on many people, and is especially relevant for our nonprofit. In our case our major fundraisers planned for the summer are most at risk. We continue to be hopeful about the months ahead, and like all of you, are looking forward to charging ahead once this virus runs its course.
Finally, I hope that all of you are taking precaution, and that you, your friends and families are doing as well as can be. We also extend our gratitude to the many people working on the front lines of this issue, from those in the medical field, to those who are able to keep essential services - shipping, grocery stores, childcare, pharmacies, banks and more - open for business. What you do, and what you risk is not lost on us.
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Thank you again for your support of our work for the river, and hopefully we will see you soon.
Stay safe,
Travis Williams
Riverkeeper & Executive Director
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You may have heard by now that... spring has
not
been
canceled! Our new reality certainly presents some challenges in terms of conducting field work, but we are doing our best to keep our restoration projects moving forward. We are in close contact with our partners and contractors to figure out the best course of action for each of our projects underway. At this time, we postponed all of our stewardship events until social distancing measures loosen up, and it seems safe to resume our many planned activities. Please stay tuned for updates.
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Registrations Are STILL Open
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Our online registration for
PINOT PADDLE
, scheduled for June 13th - 14, and
PADDLE OREGON
, scheduled for
August 17th - 21st, remain open!
If either event must be canceled due to a continuation of the COVID-19 restrictions, we will issue participants a FULL REFUND. If you have already registered for one of these events and you wish to cancel now, our standard event cancelation policy (as listed on each event's web page) applies.
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A Paddle Oregon
early bird discount is available until May 1st
, in addition to a
NEW monthly payment plan
option.
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Last month we introduced you to our new Stewardship Coordinator, Justin Carr, an active member of the Air Force Reserves whose work with us is supported through the
Mount Adams Institute’s VetsWork: Environment program
. This month we introduce to you another “new” Riverkeeper, his beautiful daughter Eliana Aspen Carr! Justin claims that while he’s sure he got more sleep during basic training than in these first few weeks of fatherhood, he and his new family of three are doing well (despite the scarcity of baby wipes)! Congratulations to you and your family Justin, and thanks for sharing with us.
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Stir Crazy Staff Recomendations
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Are you looking for some more ideas on how to make "sheltering in place" more enjoyable? Well, we queried a few staff members to see what they would recommend. Here's what they offered up:
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Heat
her-
Watch the Netflix series
Self Made
, inspired by the life of Madam CJ Walker, the first self-made, female millionaire in the US
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Eli-
Check out
PBS Frontline’s multipart series "Plastic Wars"
which investigates what has really been happening with our ever-growing mountains of plastic waste, what industry insiders knew about the environmental and public health problems of plastic, and when they knew it.
Kate-
For those who enjoy Pod Casts, check out "
Dolly Parton's America.
" In this intensely divided time, one of the few things everyone still seems to agree on is Dolly Parton— journey into the "Dollyverse" to find out why. Also check out "
Cosmic Kids Yoga,
" for free videos that will get your kids moving and giggling.
Justin-
Got time? How about researching your next big adventure? When he's not changing baby diapers Justin is researching climbing Mt Adams.
Travis-
For a few great reads, check out
:
Wake of the Wind Dancer
, by Karl Adams. In 1986, Karl Adams of Milwaukie, OR paddled from Astoria to Florida at the age of 60. He traveled through N. America up the Columbia, Snake, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio Rivers and more to reach his goal. It is an amazing journey, and Karl is one of the nicest people around.
For something for those musicians out there, check out Geddy Lee’s
Big Beautiful Book of Bass
, 2018. This large volume chronicles the transition from the stand up bass to the electric bass, and has myriad photos of a host of models from the first days to more contemporary instruments from Fender, Gibson, Rickenbacker, Vox, Gretch Hofner, Epiphone, and many more.
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