Down the River Cleanup History

To be perfectly honest we sincerely love clean rivers. We do.

No other way to put it.

And back in August 2003 three eNRG kayak instructors (Kristin Dahl, Sam Drevo, Eric Johnson) proved it by deciding to do something about what they saw at the time, namely, a river that needed help. Somehow by early September 2003 the three had convinced 60 more volunteers to show up as one on a six mile stretch of the lower Clackamas River in order to remove trash and litter. Piece by piece.

Without even knowing or speculating as to the degree of how their idea would gain momentum and grow in size, the trio pushed on and made sure this “river cleanup” venture was repeated once again a year later. In 2004 even higher numbers of volunteers turned out and the larger volume of collected trash served as validation that something significant was underway.

Here's a great article about the early beginnings of the river cleanup when some local boaters decided to do something about the trash in our backyard run. In 2003, they had no idea the size and momentum this endeavor would become!

For another look back at 2003 and how “Down The River Cleanup” got started, check out this article from Paddler Magazine- Cleaning Lady.

And we’re back in 2009. Ever amazed at how much we all care about our recreational opportunities and our “river community” this unique event is evidence of stewardship in action and passion for environmental sustainability.