Our community partners are doing some wonderful work and there are a couple of ways you can get involved. We may be nearing the peak rainy season, but there are still plenty of reasons to get outdoors and make a difference in your neighborhood. Friends of Baltimore Woods has already hosted a number of successful volunteer events and continues to team up with SOLVE to hold volunteer work parties in St. Johns to remove invasive species and plant native trees and shrubs. Baltimore Woods is a remnant of a native white oak forest and the all-volunteer group Friends of Baltimore Woods is seeking to create a linear park that connects Cathedral Park with Pier Park and would provide access for recreation and education purposes. The next two work parties will take place on this Saturday, November 10 and Saturday, December 1. Use SOLVE’s online volunteer registration page to sign up.
Also this month, the Oregon Environmental Council kicked off their most recent Love Your River challenge, focusing on how you can help prevent pollution in storm drains. The challenge encourages the public to engage in at least one of three actions including clearing your street’s storm drain, refraining from dumping into storm drains and volunteering to assist in labeling storm drains. If you’re willing to take on the challenge, you could be the lucky recipient of a Patagonia backpack or this year’s grand prize: a four-person tent, two sleeping pads, and two camp chairs from REI.