Annual Deschutes River Cleanup

The Upper Deschutes Watershed Council is hosting the 27th annual Deschutes River Cleanup! Cleanup activities will take place at five different sites on the Deschutes River where volunteers will help pull invasive weeds and remove litter from the stream banks. The cleanup sites are La Pine State Park, Farewell Bend Park, Riverbend Park, First Street Trail,and Tumalo State Park.

You will register for a specific site when you sign up. One week prior to the event you will receive an email with specific site details and meeting logistics. On the morning of the cleanup, you will meet your volunteer host at 9:00 am at the site you selected. We encourage all volunteers to come prepared with sturdy shoes, a hat and sun protection, gloves, a water bottle, and snacks.

All volunteers who register for Farewell Bend and Riverbend Park, please meet your site host at the Farewell Bend shelter at 9:00 am. There will be a brief introduction and thank you to partners and sponsors prior to cleanup activities. Our partners include Leave No Trace, Oregon State Parks, and Greater Bend Rotary, and our sponsors include Mt. Bachelor/Sun Country Tours, Visit Bend, City of Bend, Tumalo Creek, Bend Park and Recreation District, Dell Technologies, REI, and Crux Fermentation Project.

The event wrap-up celebration will take place at Crux Fermentation Project in the afternoon following the cleanup from 3:00 – 5:00 pm. Wrap-up activities will include volunteer acknowledgment, thank you to sponsors, and door prize giveaways. Visit Bend will be providing free drink tokens to the first 250 attendees.

The Deschutes River Cleanup is an opportunity for us to come together to steward the Deschutes River and its riparian areas. Recreation in and around the Deschutes River has led to significant impacts to the health of the river and, in order to keep our river beautiful and protect water quality for fish and wildlife, the Watershed Council coordinates the Deschutes River Cleanup every year. Thank you for your support as a river steward, and we hope to see you there!