September Riverscape
From The Riverkeeper
Hello All - 

I hope you are having a splendid early September. As always summer seems to have gone quickly, and soon it will be officially over. 

Over the past three months our work has gone into whirlwind mode, with myriad projects, actions, and events circulating at a frenetic pace. Hopefully you’ve had a chance to see the results, or take part in person. As always, there are a variety of ways to get involved in our work. 

We completed our 19th Paddle Oregon event - hard to believe really. It was absolutely awesome, and for all of you who took part - thank you! As I said during the last night of the trip, You Made It! That is a simple notion for this event, and it also applies to our organization! All of you made Paddle Oregon a success again. 
At times during Paddle Oregon , things occur that exemplify the need for our work. This trip was no different. On the 4th morning, just after our launch, the City of Albany had a release of raw sewage into the river . Unfortunately, none of us were alerted and the majority of our canoeists, kayakers, and SUPers, paddled and even swam through the area. 
On further inspection, WR documented various deficiencies in Albany’s sewer system over the past while. Due to this, and the raw sewage during Paddle Oregon, Willamette Riverkeeper sent a 60-day Notice of Intent to Sue to the City of Albany last week. This is one tool that can help WR uphold the Clean Water Act. 

With the facts at hand, WR hopes to develop a path forward with the City of Albany to ensure that their operations and maintenance plans are up to date, and that all other elements of their Public Works operations that relate to sewage and stormwater are as good as they can be. 

In the coming days WR will work with the City and its legal team to resolve the illegal discharge that affected Paddle Oregon, as well as other violations of their permit under the Clean Water Permit. 

Thank you for all of your support!

Travis 

Travis Williams
Riverkeeper & Executive Director
Great Willamette Clean Up: 10/5
Stay tuned folks-we aim to launch our on-line event registration later this week!

Hosted on the first Saturday of October, our 11th annual Great Willamette Clean Up is a river-wide, community day-of-action. Volunteers participate by canoe, kayak, SUP board, raft, motor boat, jet ski, drift boat, bike, and by foot to free our river of trash and debris, while also improving habitat and community spirit along the way. Cleanup sites are posted throughout the basin, and our on-line registration for this event will open in mid-September. Several areas host post-cleanup celebrations that include lunch, local frothy beverages, and “trash-talk.” 


Award Winning Service
We are very excited to share that Willamette Riverkeeper has just been chosen to receive the 2019 Oregon Recreation and Parks Association Volunteer Service Award for its partnership with Eugene Parks and Open Spaces and Eugene Recreation. This award honors an individual or organization whose volunteer efforts have made a significant contribution to parks and recreation in Oregon. 

Nominated by the City of Eugene, Willamette Riverkeeper was specifically recognized for its collaboration with City of Eugene work groups, for the volunteers mobilized and our efforts through our River Guardians Program, effective community engagement, leadership in clean water advocacy, stewardship, and recreational events such as the Great Willamette Clean Up and more recently, the Willamette River Festival.

We are very proud of our team member, Michelle Emmons, for leading much of this effort! 

Restoration Success
For the third consecutive year, Willamette Riverkeeper, in partnership with Portland State University, gathered aquatic plant vegetation data at Mission Lake located at our project site at Willamette Mission State Park . 

We are happy to share that the lake is looking great! This summer is our second year of treating Ludwigia within the lake and these efforts are proving to be very successful. We are estimating approximately 90% of the target weeds have been controlled! A big thank you to all of our partners and funders who are helping to make this project a success!  
Mission Lake BEFORE treatment
Mission Lake AFTER treatment
Wild & Scenic Film Festival: 12/5
Save the date folks! We'll be hosting the famed Wild & Scenic Film Festival for the 11th year on Thursday, December 5th at the Hollywood Theater in Portland. You can count on an outstanding evening of entertainment, including a raffle drawing with a chance to WIN a canoe! More details available soon.

Wild & Scenic Film Festival inspires environmental activism and a love for nature–through film. Wild & Scenic shares an urgent call to action, encouraging festival-goers to learn more about what they can do to save our threatened planet.
Pinot Paddle Kudos
We were beyond thrilled to have our inaugural Pinot Paddle fundraising event featured on the cover of this past August’s Oregon Wine Press Magazine !
Save the date for our 2020 Pinot Paddle which will be on June 13th -14th
We Have Moved!
Our Portland office has moved! After 15 years, we have moved from our SE Water Ave office space, along with other non-profits affiliated with the "Portland Boathouse." Our building was sold, and the new owners would not renew our lease. You can read more about that here .

We are now located at 403 SE Caruthers St, Portland 97214 , near the Tilikum Crossing and Mt Hood Brewing. Thank you for your patience with us during this time, and as we continue to unpack, improve our office and boat storage areas.
Another Way To Support WRK!
Willamette Valley Alchemy (WVA) is a local, river-loving business that is excited to support Willamette Riverkeeper through sales of their specially designed "watershed series" apparel line. Buy a t-shirt, hoodie or tank top with the logo above, and 100% of the proceeds will support Willamette Riverkeeper.  

" Willamette Valley Alchemy (WVA) is a community-inspired, craft cannabis company based in the heart of Eugene, Oregon. WVA's owners and staff are avid users and supporters of the local watersheds, and we understand the importance of giving back and supporting something that truly makes a difference.  We partnered with Willamette Valley Merchandise and collaborated on a beautiful logo design that we put onto high quality Hoodies and T-Shirts for sale on our website for our select watershed series gear , we are proud to have 100% of all proceeds go to support Willamette Riverkeeper ."
Legacy & Planned Giving
Did you know that by leaving a legacy gift you are making a lasting investment in Willamette Riverkeeper, an investment that will help us continue to advance our mission for years to come? We invite you to strengthen your commitment to Willamette Riverkeeper by considering one of these giving opportunities.

Bequests: A gift through your will or a living trust is one of the most effective ways to provide for Willamette Riverkeeper’s future, this can be done listing Willamette Riverkeeper as a beneficiary with a stated dollar amount, a percentage of your residual estate or leaving a specific asset, such as securities or other marketable property.

Beneficiary Designation: Naming Willamette Riverkeeper as a beneficiary on a retirement account, or life insurance policy, is a simple way to provide for our future without writing or re-writing your will or living trust, assets pass directly to WK without going through the probate process.

Willamette Riverkeeper will hold a workshop this fall to help explain how you can include us in your estate planning, keep your eyes open for a Save the Date soon. If you have any question in the meantime, please contact our Development Director, Heather King at 503-223-6418 or heather@willametteriverkeeper.org . You can also find more information on planned giving on our website .