Groups join to organize Spokane River cleanup

For the first time since 1996, the bank of the upper Spokane River will get the attention it deserves on Oct. 2 when the Northwest Whitewater Association and the Spokane River Forum join with community members for the first UpRiver Scrub.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will focus on cleaning the river’s Spokane Valley shore from Harvard to Sullivan Roads, with special emphasis focused on the Harvard river access. Groups of volunteers will be asked to collect trash from the Harvard or Barker Road access areas. After the work is done, volunteers are invited to True Legends Grill, 1803 N. Harvard, for a post-cleanup lunch and prizes.

Paul Delaney, president of Northwest Whitewater Association said in a press release, “The upper part of the Spokane gets used probably more than any other because of the many people that float it in the summer. It’s getting loved to death and needs some attention paid to it.”

Individuals, businesses, scout and church groups and students looking for community service hours are encouraged to get involved, Delaney said. More than 300 volunteers participated in the association’s last upper river cleanup in 1996.

Volunteers should wear comfortable, weather-appropriate work clothes and work shoes with a sturdy tread. Heavy gloves will be needed, and lighter gloves will be provided. Volunteers should also bring water and snacks.

To register and for more information, visit www.spokaneriver.net/valleycleanup.

Funding for the cleanup is provided through the Blue Sky Involve grant program from Johnson Controls in Spokane.