On Sept. 27, Bend’s Old Mill District became the hub of a local environmental effort when 42 volunteers participated in the second‑year “Pick It Up, Bend!” cleanup. The group collected 175 pounds of litter from popular river recreation areas, contributing to the broader SOLVE Beach & Riverside Cleanup that spanned ten days across Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Regional impact of the SOLVE initiative
From Sept. 18 to Sept. 27, more than 1,500 volunteers logged over 3,100 service hours across 15 counties, completing 96 restoration projects. Participants removed nearly 9,000 pounds of trash from watersheds, beaches and shorelines, cleared 9,450 square feet of invasive plants, and mulched 300 plants to support habitat recovery.
Bend’s contribution and partnerships
The Bend effort was part of a city‑by‑city public‑space improvement program launched in 2025. In addition to the trash pickup, the event partnered with the Johnson Ohana Foundation, linking the morning volunteer work with a local concert by musician Jack Johnson, who serves as a Village Green partner. Financial and logistical support came from a coalition of regional organizations, including Clean Water Services, Kaiser Permanent, Knife River, Keep America Beautiful, Metro, the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation, Owens Corning, Portco Packaging, Tillamook, Harper Houf Peterson Righellis Inc., and KOIN.
Statewide cleanup highlights
Along the Oregon Coast, 25 cleanup events stretched from Astoria and Warrenton down to Gold Beach, focusing on marine debris removal from public beaches and recreation zones. In Gold Beach, the local group Paws for Nature combined its cleanup with a community dog walk, emphasizing family‑friendly stewardship.
Inland, volunteers concentrated on river systems and watersheds. Southern Oregon saw the Bear Creek Stewardship Day, where participants cared for waterways in Ashland, Talent, Phoenix and Medford. The Rogue Valley effort included trash removal, invasive‑plant pulling and pollinator‑garden maintenance.
Community voice
“Every year, Beach & Riverside Cleanup shows what is possible when people unite to care for the places they call home,” said SOLVE CEO Kris Carico. “This year, we saw that community action take many forms, from cleaning beaches and rivers to removing invasive plants and caring for neighborhood spaces. These local efforts add up to a meaningful regional impact.”
The Bend volunteers’ work reflects the same spirit, demonstrating how a focused, neighborhood‑level effort can contribute to a larger environmental mission. As the cleanup season concludes, the region looks forward to building on this momentum for future restoration projects.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
