Hello River Friends -
I hope you are doing as well as can be. It is hard to believe it is early August. That being said, we are very excited to be preparing for our 20th Paddle Oregon event that will take off on the 15th!
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After taking 2 years off due to Covid, we are looking forward to an awesome canoe, kayak, and SUP trip down the river for 5 days and 4 nights. This event has been instrumental to Willamette Riverkeeper's work and support from the river loving community for two decades. I am grateful to have participated in the past 19 trips, and am looking forward to the 20th!
Paddle Orego is a very unique trip, which over the years folks in other parts of the country have sought to emulate, but they haven’t quite captured what we do. We have introduced hundreds of people to the Willamette during Paddle Oregon, brought many awesome supporters into our fold, from financial contributors to essential volunteers, and have shined a light on our good work up and down the river. We’ve also highlighted the ongoing needs of the river, from water quality issues, to habitat restoration. Of course, we’ve also enabled folks to see and understand the Willamette Water Trail, which Willamette Riverkeeper and its partners have been working on and supporting since 2003. And of course, a huge thanks to our awesome Pod Leader and Land Crew volunteers! Without you all, we could not conduct this one of a kind event.
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If you are not able to do this year’s trip, consider checking out the Harvest Paddle in September. See details below to register and secure your spot!
As always, your membership, sponsorships, and other financial support enable us to keep the work going. Thanks to all of you who contribute in that way. If you are not
a supporter, consider contributing monthly today!
Thanks again.
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Travis Williams
Riverkeeper & Executive Director
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Banner photo of group paddling taken by Josiah Portillo at the Pinot Paddle, 2022.
Aerial photo taken by Travis Williams.
Photo of canoeists paddling the river taken by Josiah Portillo at the Pinot Paddle, 2022.
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Portland:
Newberg:
Salem
Corvallis
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Eugene
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August 9 - River House to Beltline Cleanup: Join us for this on water event. Bring our your own boat, or a reserve a seat in one of ours!
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August 20 - Black Cultural Festival: Willamette Riverkeeper is supporting the Black Cultural Festival in Eugene by providing paddling clinics and gear. We hope to remove barriers for all people to connect to our Willamette River by participating in safe and enjoyable paddling recreation experiences. We are excited to work with the Festival's organizers this year!
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August 25 - Pride Paddle: LGBTQIA+ community and allies, join WR and Oregon Paddle Sports for a sunset paddle in Eugene/Springfield in the Whilamut Natural Area on the Canoe Canal! Bring your own boat or borrow one of ours.
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End your summer on a high note with an overnight trip on the Willamette River! |
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Cold drinks, live music, good company, sleeping under the stars, morning yoga wtih Salem's Resonance Yoga and catered meals from event favorites, Local Grind PDX and Fried Egg, I'm In Love will make for the perfect weekend. We'll even haul of your gear for you! Grab a friend and register today.
Registration closes on September 2, or when sold out.
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Photo of boats lined up and paddlers taken by Josiah Portillo at the Pinot Paddle, 2022. |
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New Development Associate: Welcome Kati! |
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Kati Duffy comes to Willamette Riverkeeper after years of experience in fundraising and development for higher education. She is excited to work Willamette Riverkeeper in order to further support her long-standing passion for the outdoors, conservation and equitable access to waterways.
Interested in donating, getting your business involved with Willamette Riverkeeper, or other creative ideas for collaboration and fundraising? Reach out to Kati at, kati@willametteriverkeeper.org.
You'll be seeing her at more our events in the months to come and we are excited to have her on the team!
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On July 15, our Willamette Riverkeeper staff worked with the Benton Soil and Water Conservation District, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, and an enthusiastic group of seven volunteers to remove aggressive non-native aquatic weeds from the river. We marveled at the wilderness feel of the Willamette soon after departing Corvallis, witnessed a number of bald eagles including a talon-threatening territorial dispute, and spent time removing ten heavy bags of parrot's feather and Ludwigia. We even spied the invasive EDRR (early detection and rapid response) weed Nymphoides peltata. |
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At Half Moon Bend our group delved into the history of the Willamette Greenway and what OPRD is doing to improve that and other sites along the river. It was there that one of our stalwart volunteers found a native red signal crayfish, pictures of which were later confirmed by knowledgeable ODFW staff.
This discovery served as a reminder that as stewards of the river we should be on the lookout for invasive crayfish, and should report any sighting to the Oregon Invasive Species Council's website or by calling 1-866-INVADER. ODFW later shared that the most likely non-native crayfish we might find on the lower Willamette would be the red swamp crayfish, and in the upper Willamette above Eugene we might possibly encounter ringed crayfish. Pictures of both native and non-native crayfish can be found here.
With collaboration, partnerships, funding from the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and pulling together, we can make a difference!
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As you may be aware, Willamette Riverkeeper, along with Center for Food Safety and Farmers Against Foster Farms, has been fighting Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) in the Willamette Basin over the last year. Currently, we are seeing an expansion of Poultry CAFOs with three facilities in Linn County that aim to raise chickens for Foster Farms. Additionally, a Foster Farms Poultry Processing Plant in Creswell is attempting to renew its NPDES permit, the permit that approves pollutant discharges into waters of the United States under the Clean Water Act. This facility ceased operations in 2006 but has continued to renew its permit over the years. With the expansion of Foster Farms CAFOs in Oregon, we fear this could be the start of the facility re-opening. The facility is located just upstream of many recreational areas in Eugene, including the Mt. Pisgah Arboretum.
CAFOs will cause a number of issues on the Willamette River, some being:
- E. Coli outbreaks have been tied to treated wastewater from industrial meat processing facilities being used for irrigation.
- Lagoons used for animal waste can leak contaminate groundwater and harm domestic and public water supplies.
- Wastewater discharges could harm many of the waterway's beneficial uses, including threatening fish habitat and creating a public health risk which would discourage water recreation.
Currently, DEQ is seeking written comments on the Creswell processing plant, due by August 31, and will be holding a public hearing about the permit on August 29. We encourage you to speak at the hearing and submit written comments to make sure your voice is heard by DEQ! If you have questions about these facilities or the work Willamette Riverkeeper is doing to fight them, please feel free to reach out to Willamette Riverkeeper’s Staff Attorney, Lindsey Hutchison at lindsey@willametteriverkeeper.org.
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A Successful Willamette River Festival in 2022! |
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This year, the Festival engaged hundreds of people in connecting with #OurWillamette through a weeklong series of activities in the upper watershed, including the 6th annual Willamette PaddleCross Challenge – a paddling race beginning upstream in the Alton Baker Canoe Canal, and concluding with an exciting downriver finish on the Willamette River from Springfield back to Eugene. Winners were awarded onstage during the World’s Track & Field Championships Riverfront Festival. |
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Participants of the Festival also enjoyed guided paddle trips, a river safety workshop, stewardship opportunities, a beginner fly fishing expedition on the Middle Fork, and walking tours highlighting the wastewater treatment plant, West Eugene Wetlands, the Willamette Confluence, riparian entomology, and Indigenous cultural heritage.
The Willamette River Festival helps to break down barriers to connect people to the river by providing greater access to safe experiences on the water, proper gear and safety support, education, and opportunities to give back. The Festival also provides a safe and welcoming space for Indigenous Peoples to provide perspective and leadership as part of the Festival structure, and is driven largely by community volunteers.
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Willamette Riverkeeper thanks all of our partners in presenting the 2022 Willamette River Festival, including the City of Eugene, Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission, Oregon Paddle Sports, Willamette Kayak & Canoe Club, Willamalane Parks and Recreation District, Eugene Fishing Scene, Willamette Resource Education Network, Lane Arts Council, McKenzie River Trust, Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife, and all the incredible Indigenous representatives, allies, educators, paddling enthusiasts, and volunteers that made this community event possible. |
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Be Part of the Pollution Solution |
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Have you ever wondered where your dirty water goes after it circles the drain? If you live in the Eugene-
Springfield area, it travels through underground pipes to the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission's (MWMC) regional wastewater treatment plant in North Eugene. The MWMC cleans water on a regional basis, fighting pollution by removing contaminants from the wastewater through physical,
biological, and chemical processes, prior to returning it to the Willamette River, but the reality is, we each have a role to play in caring for water!
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The Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission, is a proud sponsor of the 2022 Willamette River Festival. To learn more about actions you can take to prevent pollution, click here.
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NEW BOOK RELEASE! Willamette River Greenways, by Travis Williams: This new book takes a deep dive into the Willamette River Greenway Program, and uses Oregon’s “greenways” as a useful lens to shed light on Oregon’s shortcomings in regard to protecting our water, air and land. Order your copy for just $24.95 through OSU Press!
Coffee! Enjoy a cup of Roast #187 from Pastor John's Blessed Beans. Roasted in Oregon City, this is a great way to support Willamette Riverkeeper and a local small business. Purchase 2lbs. (that's two bags!) of this amazing dark roast for just $35!
Paddle. Camp. Repeat. Tees! Kick off this paddling season with a new shirt. These tri-blend tees come in a women's or men's fit, with the option of blue or gray. Purchase yours today for just $25!
Maps! Summer is here! Snag a Willamette River digital or paper (waterproof of course) copy of our Lower Willamette River Maps on the Willamette Water Trail for all of your upcoming river adventures!
*The Upper River map is currently sold out.
*We are working hard on the new river maps, however it is taking longer than expected. We anticipate an end of summer/early fall release date. Stay tuned for more details.
Willamette Water Trail Patches, we're selling them for just $5!
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