PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Volunteers are invited to stay cool and enjoy the scenery while cleaning up the Clackamas River in September.
The annual Down the River Cleanup will take place on Sept. 11.
Every year, about 200 volunteers gather together in rafts, kayaks, scuba gear, snorkels, drift boats and other vessels to scour the stream bed and banks of the river for trash.
Together, volunteers pull an average of 2 tons of litter from the most popular section of the Clackamas River.
People can either choose to clean up trash on land or on the water. On-land volunteers will choose to work in either Milo McIver State Park, Barton Park, Carver Park, Riverside Park, or Clackamette Park.
On-water volunteers will choose between four sections: Milo McIver to Barton Park, Barton Park to Carver Park, Carver Park to Riverside Park, or Riverside Park to Clackamette Park.
At the end of the cleanup event, all volunteers are invited to Barton Park at 3 p.m. for a free BBQ.
“While the Down the River Cleanup is a stewardship event, volunteers should expect to have fun! Over 90% of the time is spent floating, paddling, and enjoying the splendor and beauty of the Clackamas River,” the Clackamas River Basin Council wrote in a news release.
The Clackamas Down the River Cleanup is the largest and longest-running on-water cleanup event of its kind in Oregon. Since 2003, more than 40 tons of garbage (more than the approximate weight of one gray whale) has been removed from the river by volunteers.
Anyone interested in participating should visit WeLoveCleanRivers.org to sign up.
The cleanup is organized by the Clackamas River Basin Council and We Love Clean Rivers.
