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By: Gerald Santana for The Sentinel - Updated: 16 hours ago

October 13 - Willamette Valley Region, OR – River enthusiasts from Oakridge to Portland are invited to take part in the 2022 Great Willamette Clean Up; a free family-friendly public event, uniting cleanup efforts across the entire Willamette River Basin.

Join our efforts as we work throughout the Willamette Valley to clean the river! Participants can register at several locations north to south, from Portland metro to the headwaters communities. In all, there are 19 locations hosting public cleanup opportunities for this year’s event, spanning over 200 miles of riparian areas in the Willamette Basin.

Volunteers can choose to participate by boat or by land. In Lane County, volunteers can join several planned cleanup efforts along the urban waterfront in Eugene and Springfield, the McKenzie River corridor and upriver communities of the Middle Fork Willamette in Westfir-Oakridge.

Locations in Benton County include an on-water effort from Crystal Lake to Michael’s Landing, along with land-based sites at Avery Parks, and Mary's River Confluence. In Portland and Salem, volunteers can register for sites across the greater metro areas of both cities. Volunteer land teams will be picking up trash along greenway paths, parks, trails and boat ramps while

participants in boats ranging from kayaks and canoes to rafts and drift boats, will be clearing debris from islands and hard-to-reach areas less accessible by foot. Volunteers can sign up to bring their own boats or reserve a seat in a raft or canoe at many sites.

Each year, the Great Willamette Clean Up results in hundreds of people working hard to rid the river of trash and debris. “This event enables everyone to take part, and to make a very clear difference for our Willamette River, from headwaters communities all the way to Portland,” said Riverkeeper and WR Executive Director, Travis Williams.

Volunteers can register at various sites online by clicking the date and site link for Great Willamette Clean Up events at http://www.willametteriverkeeper.org/great-willamette-cleanup

All participating boaters are required to register in advance, due to logistics and shuttling. All on-water volunteers are required to wear a life jacket and must be 18 years old. Event organizers will provide tools, water, gloves, and instruction. Volunteers should come prepared with appropriate footwear and clothing. Meeting times will vary depending on site location and whether the cleanup is land-based or on-water.  

More about Willamette Riverkeeper: Willamette Riverkeeper (WR) works to protect and restore the Willamette River’s water quality and habitat. WR has taken multiple actions in the past to enforce the Clean Water Act and was instrumental in forcing major improvements to the US Army Corps dams on the Coast Fork and Middle Fork Willamette, as well as the McKenzie River. WR has also taken the lead to clean up the Portland Harbor Superfund site. WR continues to lead habitat restoration efforts across the main stem Willamette, with a significant floodplain forest project at Willamette Mission State Park, freshwater mussel studies, and basin-wide aquatic weed surveys and treatment planning efforts.

WR also manages the Willamette River Water Trail with Oregon State Parks and local partners. WR implements the River Guardians volunteer program, focusing on clean river health through local monitoring and cleanup projects in Eugene-Springfield, Corvallis, and beyond.

WR also owns conservation property in Lane, Benton, and Yamhill counties which provide habitat for wildlife, and opportunities for low-impact recreation.

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