Have you had a chance to walk the Columbia River Waterfront Renaissance Trail? It has great views of the Columbia River, you can walk along a sandy beach, stick your toes in the sand, and even visit one of the local waterfront restaurants for a bite to eat or to enjoy a beverage.
While this trail attracts a lot of visitors, it seems to also be attracting some litter :-( .
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (NHS) has partnered with SOLVE Oregon to provide cleanup supplies and trash removal along the Columbia River Waterfront Renaissance Trail on September 17, 2016, from 10 am to 1 pm. This section of the Waterfront Renaissance Trail is a very popular destination for locals and visitors as it provides a great view of the Columbia River, has easy access to a sandy beach, and connects the downtown with local restaurants. Volunteers who participate in the cleanup will help keep this site maintained for public enjoyment, improve the health of their local watershed, and learn about how this area was significant to the Hudson’s Bay Company in the 19th century from a National Park Service archaeologist.
“Our goal is to remove all the trash and litter along the entire length of the trail section from Who Song and Larry’s restaurant to the condominium complex to the east,” said Joseph Morse, Centennial Volunteer Ambassador at Fort Vancouver NHS, “but we’ll start our focus on cleaning up the areas that see the most use, especially the beach section.” He added “Not only are we improving the scenery and safety of our local beaches by removing this litter, but we are also ensuring that it will not wash into the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. This will improve the quality of our drinking water, marine ecosystems, and fishing opportunities. This project is an excellent way for our community to work together to maintain their local national park so that it can be enjoyed by everyone.”
Can’t make it for the whole three hours? No problem, they will be happy for whatever time you can spend! Volunteers will need to register for the cleanup through the SOLVE website. Trash bags, gloves, and a limited supply of litter pickers will be available. Coffee and refreshments will also be provided.
