Hello Folks,
Happy February! For me this new month feels pretty good as we move ahead toward more light each day and eventually warmer temperatures.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve gotten a lot done for the river, from additional trash and debris removals, to new key restrictions on wake surfing on a portion of the Willamette River. These restrictions will help protect the river’s ecology, protect private property, and improve conditions for other river users.
On a related front, we published an opinion piece in the Eugene Register Guard, "Help Needed Down by the River" about the need to do more for the homeless population up and down the Willamette. While not all garbage and debris in and around the river is from abandoned camps, we do know that throughout the Valley, many riverside homeless camps have been washed out by high water.
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Yesterday I had an opportunity to travel from Keizer to St. Paul by canoe. It turned out to be a fantastic day, strangely sunny and relatively warm. We were looking in on a couple of key Greenway sites, and one potential new one. At each stop we were not surprised to see the masses of material caught in logs jams, on the gravel beaches and intermixed with the sand and silt. WR will plan on a few cleanups on this stretch and others in the coming weeks, but it was another reminder that we, policy makers and others, need to do more to address this problem. Incidentally, WR is working with partners in the current legislative session to address the overall issue of plastics waste (more on that below). |
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I hope all of you are having a good month so far. We look forward to a full line up of great events and volunteer efforts this year! |
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Travis
Travis Williams
Riverkeeper & Executive Director
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NEW! Virtual Education Series: 2/18 @ 6:00pm |
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Come, join us!
On Thursday, February 18th from 6:00pm -7:00pm, grab your favorite beverage and tune in to connect, learn and sip with your river community!
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This month we'll dive into the Water Trail's beginnings, including the fascinating story of the visionary Willamette Greenway, including how it started, what it led to, and where it is today. We'll also highlight a few special Willamette Greenway sites that you can enjoy today. |
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Volunteer as a River Guardian |
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Covid may have slowed us down, but it hasn’t stopped our volunteers from making a difference in their own neighborhoods and along favorite river stretches. While we’re waiting for Covid vaccinations to roll out and as the number of cases continues to decrease, we expect our group efforts to be up and running again by spring, in the meantime, River Guardians has pivoted to coordinating individual volunteers or “QuaranTEAMS,” as in your friends and/or family with whom you have been quarantining, and providing clean up opportunities in certain areas in need of extra attention. |
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For safety’s sake, WR program coordinators will work with each individual or QuaranTEAM to check out supplies, target a specific river segment or park, and connect volunteers to our partnering agencies, such as our City, County and State Parks partners, to ensure trash is compiled in one area for pick up, and that the areas cleaned are clear for entry. |
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We ask that all volunteers sign accompanying waivers, and document and report their results via email so that we can track where cleanups are taking place, and how much debris is being removed. We also want to capture any GPS coordinates for areas with additional hazards such as sharps or other safety considerations, so we can provide an accurate location for follow up by partnering agencies and stakeholders.
If you would like to volunteer please contact:
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Please VOTE for our "Keep Portland Wicked" image which is in the running for "Favorite Cleanup Photo of 2020,” as well as our "We Found Waldo" image which is in the running for “Most Interesting Find.”
We would love to SWEEP both categories! Thanks for your help!
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Favorite Clean Up Photo of 2020: "Keep Portland Wicked" |
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Most Interesting Find: "We Found Waldo" |
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Let's Peel Out of the Plastic Eddy |
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When we hear of plastic pollution, we often think of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch located within the North Pacific Gyre. But did you know that the majority of the trash we gather from the Willamette during our clean-ups is plastic? While we collect and properly dispose of this waste, how can we stop plastic from getting into our river in the first place?
For starters you can support HB 2592, Oregon’s first extended producer responsibility (“EPR”) bill. EPR legislation makes plastic producers, instead of the public, responsible for the costs of plastic packaging and product design, as well as plastic waste collection, waste transportation, waste management, and clean-up. Willamette Riverkeeper is working with Surfrider and Environment Oregon to advocate for this bill.
We are also excited to support a polystyrene (foam) ban on takeout food ware (HB 2617), a bill to move away from single-use food ware and towards eliminating toxic PFAS chemicals in food ware and utensils (HB 2365), and a curb on permitting for “chemical recycling” industry expansion in Oregon (HB 2811).
Stay tuned for ways you can help move these bills forward!
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Restoring 700+ Acres at Willamette Mission |
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Visit Willamette Mission State Park!
Willamette Riverkeeper and our many super supportive funders and partners have been hard at work restoring over 700 acres of habitat at Willamette Mission State Park during the last six years. This project has turned out to be one of the largest restoration efforts of its kind in the Willamette Valley, with over $1 million invested over the last four years alone.
Now is the perfect time of year, when the Willamette River flows are high and boating is less appealing, to explore this wonderful gem with your family or friends. Clean your hiking boots, dust off your bike, grab your mask, and make your way to this 1,329 acre State Park north of Salem.
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We invite you to explore and enjoy the incredible number of trails that Willamette Mission has to offer. Many of these trails are very wide, allowing for comfortable spacing during the pandemic. Other trails are more intimate, but offer plenty of opportunity to step aside, and let others have space to enjoy the beauty. The paths are wonderful for bike riding as well. |
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If you have not been to the park in the last handful of years, you will barely recognize it, and if you have, we would love to hear from you about the changes you see! The weed abatement we have done has provided many more vistas, and you will note a considerable amount of new native growth with nearly 500,000 trees and shrubs planted over 376 acres. With three years of non-native Ludwigia weed reduction efforts, one can actually paddle and explore Mission Lake via canoe again during the summer.
If you see our contract crews out planting this season, may sure and wave and thank them for their work!
The entire project when completed will restore 752 acres of habitat. Partners for this comprehensive project include Willamette Riverkeeper, Oregon State Parks, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Meyer Memorial Trust, Bonneville Power Administration, Department of State Lands, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, R. Franco Restoration, Integrated Resource Management, Ash Creek Forest Management, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, the Arbor Day Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Cascade Environmental Group, One Tree Planted, Promise the Pod, U.S. Geological Survey, Portland State University, North Salem High School, and several private landowners and farmers. This project also engages local community members in on-site stewardship activities, so once the pandemic is over, join us!
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Business Partnership Opportunity |
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Do you support Willamette Riverkeeper’s mission, programs and work? Are you a business owner? Willamette Riverkeeper is looking for businesses to join us in partnership in 2021!
Contact Heather King for more information and a sponsor packet.
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Follow "Willamette Water Trail" on Instagram |
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Friends, the 'gram is the JAM!
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