May 13, 2009

Clean-up volunteers sought
SOLV event targets several sites

By Sam Craig
of The Chronicle

     Home town looking run-down? Parks overrun with trash? Bursting at the seams with civic pride?
     SOLV Oregon, in partnership with Oregon 150, is organizing numerous events across the gorge — and the rest of the state — to make public areas sparkle like new again. This Saturday, May 16 as part of Take Care of Oregon Days, members of SOLV (Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism) will be teaming up with the public to get local parks and open spaces tidied up to kick off the beginning of Oregon’s second 150 years.
     Six cleanup sites have been plotted out for Sherman and Wasco counties on Saturday. Though some were chosen to beautify, most of the planned sites were chosen because they were seen to be in the most need, and as the places with quite a bit of potential to become a great hangout for locals and visitors alike.
     “We’d like to shift these places from a trash site to a place where people come to enjoy nature, peace, renewal, recreation, family time, all that stuff,” said Holly Griswold, who will be working at the Mill Creek site. “That’s a pretty big shift.”
     Four spots in The Dalles will have volunteers pitching in.
     The Thompson Park cleanup will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. A good majority of the job will include litter pickup. After cleaning, lunch will be provided for volunteers. Contact Cliff Clason for more info at (541) 980-1439.
     Taylor Lake also needs volunteers from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to get rid of the trash around the lake. To help, contact Marcus Denney at (541) 506-0130.
     The volunteers working at the Mill Creek Greenway Habitat will help remove nonnative plants and take care of pine seedlings that were planted last fall. The project goes from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. A light breakfast will start the morning, and a raffle will finish off the day. Contact Holly Griswold at (541) 478-2116 to learn more.
     The Dalles Imagination Garden has a lot planned for the two hours work will be done. From 10 a.m. to noon, workers will be building a composting area, planting trees and roses, putting in a gate and hanging part of a mosaic built by high school art students. Refreshments will be provided as well. Contact Charlotte Link at (541) 298-5045 for more.
     Folks in Mosier will be meeting by the totem pole before spreading around town to clean up the streets and removing invasive plants. The work will last from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. To help, call Iva Harmon at (541) 478-3435.
     In Sherman County, volunteers are needed in Rufus to clean up the riverside at Giles French Park from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers will pick up trash, work on the trail and plant. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Call Greg Volkman at (541) 506-7899 for more information.
     SOLV volunteers hope that this day gets residents a little more interested in keeping their communities, as well as the planet, clean.
     “We want to create this place in The Dalles where people want to come,” said Marcus Denney of The Dalles Young-Professionals. “We want to retain people here and empower and inspire them. Any way we can connect with people and help each other, that’s a good thing.”
     For more information on what to bring and for all events around the state, visit www.SOLV.org.