Willamette Riverkeeper's Great Willamette Cleanup 2009!

Although our local river, the Willamette, is often referred to in disdainful terms, it serves the recreational community and even serves Northwest River Guides for the Thursday skills socials. Many paddlers first took to the water here. It is host to Paddle Oregon, a week-long event in August. Next Adventure, NRG, and Alder Creek Sellwood-Ross Island trips there all summer! It's also home to Portland Kayak Company - most of their lessons are held right off John's Landing.

Willamette Riverkeeper's mission is to protect and restore the Willamette River. They believe that a river with good water quality and abundant natural habitat is a basic public right. The Willamette River belongs to all of us, and should be protected as such.

October 3rd they held the 1st Great Willamette Cleanup! They invited folks from We Love Clean Rivers, and Pacific NW Sea Kayak Meetup to handle one section - the Meldrum Bar. We met out there with canoes and kayaks and headed out to Goat and Cedar Islands to scour the area.

First order of the day was meet and greet, check our route, and sign the usual legal formalities.

Then we paddled down to Cedar Island. I was surprised that we only found a tire, an easy up shelter and a whole lotta old cable buried in sand. At least we found that much!

Some of the other groups cleaned sections in far worse shape. Look at what they got! This was not without battle scars...uggh I got mine.

After we were done, we took group photos, then headed down to Madison's Bar & Grill for some grub. All in all a good time and we're sure next year's cleanup will be even bigger!