Willamette Riverkeeper

River cleanups:in 2024, wrk coordinated 39 river cleanups via the river guardians program, involving 538 volunteers contributing 1,678 service hours - valued at approximately $58,377. Volunteers removed 164 cubic yards of garbage (~65,600 lbs, or 32.8 tons), and ensured proper disposal of hypodermic waste and other hazardous debris.

Recreation & special events:wrk fosters public connection to the river via recreation, cultural programming, and river education:- willamette river festival 2024 - in eugene, wrk partnered with the city of eugene and oregon paddle sports to host a festival blending paddling races, indigenous cultural performances, educational exhibits, and watershed storytelling.- pinot paddle 2024 - attracted 127 participants (and 17 volunteers) for a scenic paddling tour paired with local food and wine, enriched by habitat interpretation stops.- wild & scenic film festival - held in portland, the festival served as both fundraiser and public education event.- river discovery events - two community canoe trips (in salem and portland) introduced new participants to the willamette's ecological and historical narratives.- mussel surveys - continued basin-wide freshwater mussel monitoring, with a full report and story map expected in 2025.

Legal & legislative advocacy:wrk continued robust policy and legal engagement in 2024 to protect river health and public access:- legislative advocacy - supported funding for the oregon invasive species council; defended recreational immunity proposals; opposed rollback of wake restrictions in the newberg pool.- litigation & legal actions - continued litigation against fema, filed notice to sue odfw for clean water act violations at the leaburg hatchery, and engaged in the j-s ranch cafo case leading to protective local ordinances. Maintained foia litigation with the u.s. Army corps of engineers and negotiated blm withdrawal of the big league timber project. - emerging issues - addressed 6ppd-q runoff toxicity impacts and opposed zenith energy's operations in portland harbor.wrk's constituent mobilization resulted in hundreds of public comments influencing statewide policy decisions. Wrk also participated on two state rulemaking advisory committes, representing environmental and river health interests.