SOLV is excited to announce that the annual Fall Beach Cleanup will expand to include river and waterway cleanup and restoration projects across the state while continuing the critical cleanup projects volunteers have been supporting for 26 years along the Oregon Coast. In place of the statewide “Down by the Riverside” event previously held annually in May, SOLV has expanded the reach of this fall cleanup to help curb the large amount of trash that flows to the ocean from inland waterways, streets, and storm drains. By helping to cut off trash upstream, before it reaches the beach, Oregonians from across the state will be taking local action to address a very global problem.
 On Saturday, September 25th, thousands of volunteers will clean up Oregon’s beaches from the California border to the Columbia River – and also work along rivers, creeks, lakes and other waterways throughout Oregon and SW Washington - improving the quality of water that we all use for drinking, recreation, agriculture and more.
SOLV is currently seeking volunteer project applications for the Beach & Riverside Cleanup, Presented by the Oregon Lottery. The event will take place Saturday, September 25th, 10am – 1pm. Teachers are also encouraged to apply for assistance with projects involving their students in service-learning activities during September.
History
Thousands of Oregonians have taken action to improve the environmental health of the coastline and ocean each spring and fall by turning out to clean and preserve the state’s public beaches.  SOLV is proud to be a leader in the clean beach movement that began in 1984 in Oregon. Since then, nearly 190,000 SOLV volunteers have removed over 1250 tons of trash and marine debris from the Oregon coastline.
By maintaining the effort, SOLV, local coast garbage haulers and recyclers, and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, along with countless sponsors, partners and volunteers have helped keep Oregon’s coastline pristine and provided a model to other states and nations. Since the original effort in the 1980s, volunteer coastal cleanups have spread to all US states and territories and over 100 countries worldwide.
For the first time, SOLV will be expanding this cleanup event in 2010 to include projects along rivers, creeks, lakes and other waterways throughout Oregon and SW Washington. By restoring waterways & cutting off trash upstream, before it reaches the beach, SOLV volunteers will be part of a statewide effort to reduce marine debris and improve inland water and ocean health.
25th Anniversary Fall Beach Cleanup a Huge Success!
Over 3700 volunteers turned out at the coast under the threat of rain for the 25th Anniversary Fall Beach Cleanup on Saturday, September 19th. They removed 54,460 pounds of trash and debris from over 362 miles of coastline. Some of the more interesting items found included a car bumper, an unopened and expired package of hot dogs, a small refrigerator, and 125 shoes and sandals.
 Commonly found items included bits of plastic, styrofoam, and cigarette butts. While these are often small items, if they accumulate they can do big damage to marine wildlife and the environment, particularly the plastic debris that never fully degrade or disappear. Scientists have discovered that more than 5 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean is covered with trash, and most of it is believed to be compiled of the remnants of plastic trash from the world's shorelines. Data from past cleanups tell us that nearly 80% of ocean trash comes from land-based activities, meaning this problem is preventable if we all did more to reduce, properly dispose of, or recycle trash.  For more information on the problem of marine debris.
The next Fall Beach Cleanup is on Saturday, September 25th, 2010, from 10 am to 1 pm. For more information please visit: www.solv.org |