As the new executive director at the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council (UDWC), I attended my first-ever Deschutes River Cleanup on Saturday, July 27th. The River Cleanup is an event that we have hosted every summer for the past 23 years. This year, as in recent years, the focus has been on the stretch of the river between the Bill Healy Memorial Bridge downstream to Drake Park. Being a new resident in Central Oregon, I was inspired by the widespread community response to this event! Numerous organizations and nearly 300 volunteers showed up to help play a role in removing garbage from the river, picking up trash and pulling noxious weeds along the banks of the river. Altogether, 1,360 pounds of garbage and invasive weeds were removed by volunteers.

I have participated in numerous river cleanup events during the last two decades but never have I been a part of an event that includes scuba divers. Central Oregon Diving and the Deschutes County Search and Rescue organized approximately 30 divers that searched the bottom of the river to recover items dumped from years ago or from the more recent past, lost by people floating the river or others recreating along the river. On Saturday, canoeists, kayakers and other paddlers were paired with the divers to transport the garbage recovered by the divers and help ensure everyone remained safe. Special thanks go out not only to Central Oregon Diving and Deschutes County Search and Rescue but also other sponsors and partners including the city of Bend, Bend Park & Recreation District, Deschutes River Conservancy, Deschutes Brewery, Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe, REI, Cascade Disposal and the hundreds of volunteers that came out to lend a hand and make a difference. Volunteers also traveled upstream and downstream from this section of river to clean up other riverfront areas within Bend.

I lived in Central Oregon 20 years ago for a short time and the transformation along this section of the river over just the last 20 years has been incredible. While much of the infrastructure from the Old Mill District’s past has been renovated, a new challenge for this portion of the river is finding balance given the incredible popularity and use of the river by boaters, floaters, hikers and park users. In partnership with a variety of local businesses and organizations, the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council launched the Enjoy, Protect, Respect campaign in 2016. The campaign was designed to raise public awareness about the impacts to the health of the river and its riparian areas. Enjoy, Protect, Respect seeks to educate visitors and river users about ways to enjoy the river while limiting the negative impacts to the river. If successful, our goal with the campaign is to dramatically reduce the 178 cans, 204 bottles and other items we pulled out of the river on Saturday. The Upper Deschutes Watershed Council is also partnering with the Bend Park & Recreation District to assess and implement ways to improve habitat and improve and consolidate access points to the river and limit impacts from the extraordinary use that this section of river is receiving in summer months. All of these efforts are a response to residents and visitors wanting to experience and enjoy this amazing river that we all love. We invite you to join us. You can get involved by volunteering, donating, or just enjoy the Deschutes with an informed sense of stewardship. Learn more about ways to help us protect this river we all love at www.restorethedeschutes.org

— Kris Knight is the executive director of the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council.