November Riverscape

You're invited to join Willamette Riverkeeper, and our friends at  Patagonia and REI, as we host the Wild & Scenic Film Festival once again in Portland!

Make no mistake; the Wild & Scenic Film Fest is a call to action. Considered the largest film festival of its kind, this year's films combine stellar filmmaking and first-rate storytelling to inform, inspire and ignite solutions and possibilities to restore the earth and human communities, while creating a positive future for the next generation. Filmgoers may find themselves transformed into a congregation of committed activists, dedicated to saving our increasingly threatened planet.

Enjoy 10 award-winning environmental and adventure films that illustrate the Earth's beauty, the challenges facing our planet, and the work communities are doing to protect the environment (2 hours of films, plus a brief intermission).

When: Thursday, December 1^st

Where: Bagdad Theater, SE Hawthorne & 37^th, PDX

Time: doors @ 6pm, films begin @ 7pm
Who: all ages

Tickets*: $5 for students & youth, $8 for adults (advance tickets sales available at Portland REI beginning 11/4, there are no additional service fees when purchased here so take advantage!)   

*your ticket includes one free entry into our raffle drawing!

Highlights include:

A Mongolian Couch Couch surfing is alive and well in Mongolia! Begzsuren lives with his wife and four children in Mongolia and possesses an inspiring passion to improve both his family's and his community's lot. He welcomes guests into his home from all over the world, offering these visitors aspects of traditional Mongolian culture and in exchange his guests offer insight into how they live and work back home. Everyday Begzsuren is on an adventure and a mission, by exploring and inviting the world into his home, he is slowly but surely improving his own world. (Best Short Film & Audience Favorite Award, EcoFocus FF)

Truck Farm You surely haven't seen an agricultural film like this before! Truck Farm is a whimsical, musical documentary about the quirky world of urban agriculture. After filmmaker Ian Cheney plants a garden in the back of his pickup truck, he and the Truck Farm set out to explore the rooftops, barges and windows that represent New York City's newest edible oases. Can these urban farmers feed a city? Can the old Dodge and its crops survive the winter? Featuring time machines, Victorian dancers, physicists, nutritionist Marion Nestle, chef Dan Barber, and explorer Henry Hudson. (Most Uplifting Film Award Cinema Verde FF, Jury & Audience Award Green FF in Seoul, Jury Honorable Mention Award Wild & Scenic FF)

The Fisherman Why paddle when you can swim? Mike Kasic swims the Yellowstone River like a human-fish through swift river canyons and scenic mountain views, watching trout in fast currents filled with frothing water tornadoes, stopping only to body surf river waves. His message is simple: a river is more than its water; what lies beneath is a wilderness that is often overlooked, but critical for the Yellowstone ecosystem to thrive. (Nominated for an award at Wildscreen FF, screened as a finalist in two categories at Banff Mountainfilm Fest & screened 3x at Telluride Mountainfilm fest by popular demand!)

This Willamette Riverkeeper Big Float participant demonstrates creative, full-immersion swimming in downtown PDX, by KR

As the summer and now fall draws to an end, the Water Quality Monitoring program reflects on another year of monitoring for bacteria, the best water quality indicator we have for testing the safety of the river in terms of human health.

In our analysis, WR follows the US Environmental Protection Agency standard for full-immersion swimming. Few or slight exceedences of this strict swimming standard don't necessarily mean that it's unsafe to boat or wade, however. At bacteria levels above the standard, about 8 in 1000 swimmers are expected to experience some type of gastrointestinal illness after sustained, full-body contact. 

The table below summarizes this year's results. Visit http://www.willamette-riverkeeper.org/WRK/ecolisitesreports.html to view all data and a color-coded map of individual sites. 

*Samples taken from the main-channel side of the dock at Sellwood all came back well within the standard, indicating that the water quality problems are limited to the beach area, which receives little flow and is enclosed by the dock.  

Ever wonder what 1200+ Willamette swimmers looks like? Check out The Big Float on VIMEO!

** Rinearson Creek isn't large enough for

swimming, but consistently high bacteria levels

indicate a chronic bacteria problem. WR is working with volunteers, Oregon DEQ and the City of Gladstone to track bacteria levels and work towards a solution.  

Given the anticipated completion of the City of Portland's Big Pipe project this winter and the consistently low bacteria levels in the mainstem Willamette, we hope to bring next season's sampling focus to more tributaries (like Rinearson Creek).  

If you know of a swimming hole (or even just a stream that the neighborhood kids play in) that you'd liketo see tested, contact [email protected]. 

Trash tug-of-war at the mouth of Johnson Creek in Millwaukie, by Mark Gamba

Our 3^rd Annual Great Willamette Cleanup was buoyed by the collective effort of more than 600 river-loving citizens from Eugene to Portland. Your dedication yielded dozens of truckloads of trash and recycling.

What did people find exactly? Whether by boat, by foot, or by bike, our volunteers dug, dragged, hauled, rolled, and sometime floated massive Styrofoam blocks, heaps of tires, numerous shopping carts, rolls of fencing, aluminum cans, broken glass, tarps, soggy sleeping bags, mattresses and clothes, masses of plastic bottles, containers, caps, and bags, tons of scrap metal including a wash tub, stray needles, and several discarded stuffed animals.

A volunteer reclaims an odd duck (non-native for sure), by KR

While trash is a persistent problem in and alongside our rivers, together we made a significant improvement in the amount of waste that would have otherwise languished in the Willamette system or drifted into the Pacific. It makes a difference folks. Several new cleanup locations including the Chehalem Park & Recreation District Paddle Launch in Dundee, and eNRG Kayaking in Oregon City helped bolster our success.

There is also something to be said about spending time on our home river with our community (all clad in the same stylish event t-shirt of course). As is often the case with this event, there were far more smiles than garbage piles! Not only were we making a tangible difference by removing litter and debris, but many volunteers enjoyed scenic views and wildlife along the way, in addition to the good company. In Oregon City, Lamar Fontain saw dear tracks along the beaches, a nimble family of raccoons, and watched a fisherman hoist a 6' sturgeon from the river.

Pam & Bob Turner live on the river and were happy to help transport trash bags gathered by paddlers around Ross Island, they also rescued a pair of IK'ers when their boat sprung a leak! by KR

In addition to our volunteers and site leaders, we would also like to thank our sponsors! Without their support and participation, this event would not be a success. Many thanks to REI, The City of Eugene, Environmental Services of Portland, Willamalane Park & Recreation District,Toyota, East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, Eugene Parks & Open Space Volunteer Program, PGE, City of Springfield, Columbia Sportswear, Teva, Popina, King Estates, Sierra Nevada, Oregon Lottery, Deschutes Brewery, Adventures Without Limits, Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe, eNRG Kayaking, Tualatin Riverkeepers, University of Oregon Outdoor Program, We Love Clean Rivers, Oregon Parks & Recreation Department, Chehalem Park & recreation District paddle Launch, Meat is Good For You, Metro, Lower Columbia Canoe Club, Oregon Ocean Paddling Society, Willamette Kayak & Canoe Club, and the HIV Alliance.

We can all do our part by always leaving the places we paddle, walk, and play better than we found them. Until then, we look forward to an even Greater Willamette Cleanup effort next year.

See ALL of the 2011 Great Willamette Cleanup sites IN ACTION in this VIDEO slideshow!

Waldo Weekend Warriors     

This gorgeous image of Waldo Lake was taken by Waldo Weekend Warrior, Dirk Wittig

Last month we hosted our First Annual Waldo Weekend. About 25 intrepid paddlers showed up at Waldo Lake for a weekend of paddling, hiking and fun. We had a fantastic opportunity to see the incredibly clear, blue water of the lake, learn about why the lake is so pure, and what is being done to protect it. We also discussed the recent successful effort to discontinue the use of combustible motors on the lake.

The area is very scenic, and is surrounded on the North and West sides by the Waldo Wilderness, and Forest Service land for the remainder. Several people took hikes affording incredible views of the area, and just to the east we could see Mt. Bachelor, Broken Top, and South Sister even with partially cloudy skies. In addition to day trips, some participants also enjoyed a nighttime star gazing paddle.  

As a key headwater of the Willamette River system, doing all we can to protect Waldo Lake and its watershed is critical. Look for an announcement next spring for our second Waldo Weekend. 

photo on left: The start of the North Fork of the Middle Fork Willamette flows from Waldo Lake, by TW   

WE HAVE EXCITING NEWS!

In yet another year of great economic uncertainly, we want to share some great information with you... 

Willamette Week has chosen Willamette Riverkeeper to participate in their annual Give!Guide effort. Last year, this community fundraiser brought in more than $1,160,000 for 79 local nonprofits. 

The Give!Guide's goal - and now ours - is to develop new donors for Willamette Riverkeeper. Willamette Week puts a special emphasis on identifying new donors under the age of 36 - and provides lots of incentives to help bring this about.  

This opportunistic osprey has nabbed lunch, as captured by Noel Urena on Paddle Oregon 2011

The guide and its web site don't go live until November 9, but we would love your help getting us a jump-start on this great opportunity. We have a corporate partner, Popina Swimwear, who will match up to $2,500 in donations we receive. In addition, Willamette Week will be providing approximately $100,000 worth of incentives to people who give. 

Here's what you can do: Make sure everyone you know - friends, relatives, children, business acquaintances - hears about this great opportunity to support our cause and earn valuable and fun incentives in the process. 

So please help us get the word out - and make sure everyone you know is looking for Willamette Week's Give!Guide when it publishes on Wednesday, November 9, and goes live on the web the same day at wweek.com/giveguide. 

Thank you so much for your help!  

Support YOUR Willamette River with a tax-deductible donation through the Give!Guide or simply click here to make a direct donation right now on our website.

Confluence Tour VIDEO 

Join us as we wrap up our most successful River Discovery year yet...

Portland Bridge Paddle: Saturday, December 10th, from 10:00am - 2:00pm
 
Why? Because you know it beats holiday shopping! Beginning at the SE Portland Boathouse, we will paddle 7 miles downstream, passing under eight bridges (including the Hawthorne, Morrison, Burnside, Steel, Broadway, Fremont, Union Pacific Railroad, and St. Johns Bridges) and end our trip at Cathedral Park in St Johns. 

Meet at the SE Portland Boathouse (1515 SE Water Avenue, Portland) in the parking lot just above the boat ramp. Please arrive around 9:30am as we aim to launch no later than 10:00am.

Riverkeeper will run a limited shuttle service from the take out back to the Portland Boathouse. We welcome participants to make their own shuttle arrangements as well. We expect to reach the take out sometime between 1:30pm and 2:00pm.  The shuttle should take approximately 40 minutes (one way). 

Participants should be comfortable paddling for over three hours, possibly in wind and some current. Dress appropriately for the weather (including a spare set of dry clothes!), pack water, snacks, lunch, or hot drink. As usual, Riverkeeper canoes are available upon request (please register with a paddling partner). 

To register contact [email protected] or call Kate at 503-223-6418.    

photos: Union Pacific RR Bridge, by KR (above), paddles get close enough to sniff the freighters on last year's Bridge paddle, by KR (right)

In the spirit of "all things turkey"... here are some Fascinating & "Fowl" facts about Turkey Vultures, and why they are not invited to your Thanksgiving dinner.  

 Why... they have bald heads: 

Turkey Vultures on the prowl, as captured by Costa Rican birding expert Noel Urena on Paddle Oregon 2011

There is an important purpose to the vulture's bald head. When the vulture is eating carrion, it must often stick its head inside the carcass to reach the meat. A feathery head would capture unwanted pieces of the vulture's meal, along with all the bacteria such pieces would host. The bald head, ultimately, is a matter of hygiene for vultures.

Why... they often vomit:

Interestingly, turkey vultures often vomit when approached or harassed by predators. This behavior may well have evolved as a means for vultures gorging on a carcass to off-load some weight when predators approach and the vulture has eaten too much to fly. More often than not, the regurgitated food may in fact be eaten by the predator, which takes the free meal rather than continuing to pursue the vulture.

Why... they urinate on their legs:

The turkey vulture often directs its urine right onto its legs. This process, known as urohydrosis, serves two very important purposes. On warm days, wetting the legs cools the vulture as the urine evaporates.  

In addition, this urine contains strong acids from the vulture's digestive system, which may kill any bacteria that remain on the bird's legs from stepping in its meal.

For more information, visit the Turkey Vulture Society