Spokane River Clean-Up declared the world’s largest

Interest in the Spokane River Clean-up grows each year, and organizers are already forecasting record-size attendance at the seventh-annual event, which is Saturday, Sept. 26. Even if it doesn’t hit its goal of 1,000 people, the environmentally-friendly will have a new distinction: the largest hands-on river-cleanup taking place worldwide on that particular weekend. Not everyone knows that Sept. 27 has been declared World Rivers Day, a day when communities around the globe are encouraged to take the initiative to begin cleaning their nearby rivers. Spokane River Clean-up officials said that Spokane’s event, even though a day earlier than the global event, is being done with the same spirit of cooperation and focus. The event was recently recognized by Mark Angelo, chair of the Rivers Institute at British Columbia Institute of Technology and a University of Montana graduate, who founded World Rivers Day in 2005. He is also the founder of BC Rivers Day, which started with a river clean-up on the Thompson River in British Columbia back in 1980 and now has close to 100 communities throughout the Province participating. Pre-registration is now taking place for the event, which begins with a check-in and quick briefing at 9 a.m. at either High Bridge Park/Spokane River Gorge or the University District, near Avista. People can come out in groups of families, friends, or co-workers or team up with plenty of other community-minded individuals. Volunteers get backpacks of cleaning supplies and other tools, plus free food and beverages. Following the clean-up, at around noon, all river cleaners are invited to return in to compare notes and also compare what they found. There’s even a contest for the most interesting treasures pulled out of the water. Last year, more than 800 people were responsible for removing more than 8 tons of trash, and 2 tons of it was able to be recycled. People interested in signing up – which will give organizers an idea of initial numbers for supply purposes, can visit www.friendsofthefalls.org. You can also attend that day. Volunteers are also encouraged to walk, bike or take a bus to either site. A free shuttle service is available that morning from Spokane Falls Community College. That day will also include a September tree-planting effort sponsored by The Lands Council. Sponsors include Avista, Alt29, Spokane River Stewardship Partners, Spokesman-Review/Down to Earth NW, Wheelabrator, Burlington Northern, and the City of Spokane.