Hood River community cleanup
Martin Guzman picks up trash while searching for pinecones along Hood River’s Powerdale Corridor, Oct. 19, 2024, in Hood River, Ore. (Photo/Terra King)
BY TERRA FRIEDMAN KING
PORTLAND, Ore. — On the morning of Sat. Oct. 19, 30 volunteers spent three hours filling trash bags with litter from the banks of the Hood River.
Native Fish Society steward Daniel Peirce said the main purpose of the trash cleanup was to reconnect the local community to the Hood River. “It’s a short river, and most of it is tucked away so it’s easy to forget about.”
Even though the Hood River runs only 25 miles from its headwaters to the Columbia River, it plays a unique environmental role. Fed from glaciers on Mount Hood, Oregon’s tallest mountain, its year-round cold waters attract the most native fish species in the Columbia River Basin.
“The more that you can get people involved in being around this watershed, the more they'll feel empathetic for the problems and the more that they'll want to be part of the solutions,” said Peirce.”
While there is no immediate threat to river, Pierce emphasized its vulnerability. “Nestle could want to come in and pull the water for water bottles like they did in Cascade Locks.”
Peirce encouraged volunteers to look for microplastics along the Powerdale Corridor section of the river, and some locals flocked to areas they were familiar with.
Devyn Carrol and Riley Curren crossed the train tracks and returned with heavy bags brimming with stinking debris. “The main spot that I would hang out at for years was right down there where we just finished picking up trash,” said Carrol. “I always bring my dog down there, so it felt good picking up so much glass.”
Devyn Carroll (left) and Riley Curran after cleaning up the riverbank where Caroll takes her dog, Oct. 19, 2024, in Hood River, Ore. (Photo/Terra King)
Carroll and Curren work at pFriem, a local Hood River brewery that hosted the after-party. “We're able to make such good beers because we have such good water around here. So maintaining those waterways is part of that overall greater thing for making good beer.”
Healthy waterways do more than contribute to pFriem’s many award-winning beverages. The health of the native fish population is a strong indicator of the overall health of the environment, according to Executive Director of Native Fish Society Mark Sherwood.
Chad Foster scaling rocks in search of trash along the Hood River, Oct. 19, 2024, in Hood River, Ore. (Photo/Terra King)
“Many of them will swim as far as Japan or Russia. And then they come all the way back to their home stream,” said Sherwood. “When these fish are present, they tell us that all the little habitat links in the chain and the environment are still holding together.”
Volunteer and local Bethany Kharrazi cheerfully combed through underbrush to find small pieces of litter and plastic. “Our work is to protect farms, fish, food, and family,” she said. “Part of being out here today is to work on all those things.”
Bethany Kharrazi looks for litter along Hood River’s Powerdale Corridor, Oct. 19, 2024. The Powerdale Dam was decommissioned and removed in 2010, in Hood River, Ore. (Photo/Terra King)
Volunteer Amy Garrahan works for Patagonia, one of the event’s sponsors. Garrahan said Patagonia gave Native Fish Society a $15 thousand grant this year through their 1% for the Planet give-back program.
“This river in particular has a lot of amazing swimming holes,” said Garrahan. “It's great to keep it clean.”
Amy Garrahan volunteers to pick up trash along the Hood River, Oct. 19, 2024, in Hood River, Ore. (Photo/Terra King)
Native Fish Society organized the event with sponsorship from Doug's Hood River, Patagonia, SOLVE, and pFriem Family Brewers.
Native Fish Society offers regular river cleanups and educational events to connect locals to their watershed through community action.
Lena Forti fills her trash bag with litter found between the east side of Hood River and Oregon Route 35, Oct. 19, 2024, in Hood River, Ore. (Photo/Terra King)
© 2024 TERRA FRIEDMAN KING