August 21, 2002
Contact: Emily Garrigues (509-963-1643/fax 509-963-1726/e-mail: emmajae@hotmail.com)
ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Countless people find rest and relaxation along the Yakima River each summer. Evidence of this can be found in the accumulation of litter and aluminum cans along the river’s edge by the season’s end. Each year, approximately 200 river enthusiasts work together during the annual Yakima River Clean Up to remove more than 5,000 pounds of litter from the Yakima River and adjacent areas.
Held annually the first weekend in October, the Yakima River Clean Up will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year on Oct. 5. The event, created by the late CWU administrator Don Wise, established a partnership between the university and Ellensburg community.
Participation remains strong despite Wise’s death from Alzheimer’s more than two years ago. The Yakima River was a central part of his life. He floated the river for 300 consecutive months, according to his wife Helen.
“The river meant so much to Don—it made sense to get everyone together to take care of it,” she said. “Don loved to organize fun things that brought the community together.”
Lorinda Anderson, program director for CWU’s Service-Learning and Volunteer Center, can attest to the success the event has in bringing the community together.
“For many new students, this event is their first introduction to the Ellensburg community,” Anderson said. “It’s a great opportunity for these two groups to interact and see how influential they can be working together.”
Not only is the event fun, but also participants leave with the feeling that their actions make a difference, according to three-year participant Patsy Georgewitz.
“We move 2.5 tons of trash in a couple of hours,” Georgewitz said. “How can someone say that’s not having an impact?”
Event volunteers meet at 8 a.m. in the Samuelson Union Building parking lot on the Central campus. After enjoying a breakfast of doughnuts and coffee, volunteers are organized into teams and then transported to sites along the Yakima River watershed. After two hours of litter removal, the event concludes with a free barbeque and celebration.
While the majority of volunteers are from the Ellensburg area, anyone is welcome to participate. For more information about the Yakima River Clean-Up, call the CWU Service-Learning and Volunteer Center at (509) 963-1643, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-3323.
