Volunteers, governor celebrate Earth Day with Wallace Marine Park cleanup
On a bright Saturday morning, around a hundred people put on reflective vests and collected their trash grabbers to clean up Wallace Marine Park.
Some brought their kids and had cheerful conversations about movies and many different topics while cleaning up at the April 19 event honoring Earth Day.
Among the volunteers were Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson and Oregon Sen. Deb Patterson, D-Salem. Some employees from Wells Fargo, Portland General Electric and Kotek’s team also signed up to volunteer.
It was the first cleanup this year Kotek was part of, but she had collaborated with SOLVE on other occasions.
“They know how to organize this, keep everybody safe … it’s the best way to help out because they just make it easy for you,” Kotek said.
Kotek moved to Oregon from Pennsylvania in 1987 and “was struck by how clean it was,” she said. “Oregon really believes in picking up the trash, making things clean… I think it’s because we love the environment here.”
“People want to have a place where they can experience nature and not worry about the stuff lying on the ground,” she said. “When you think about all of the outdoor spaces, this is a really simple thing you can do.”
The event was organized by SOLVE Oregon, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the environment and restoring ecosystems in Oregon and southwest Washington. It lasted about two hours and organizers coordinated with the city of Salem to dispose of the trash collected.
Wallace Marine Park is a 114-acre space in West Salem with softball and soccer fields. It borders the west bank of the Willamette River and is connected by a bridge to Riverfront Park. The park is home to a large number of unhoused people.
Earth Day, which takes place every April 22, coordinates many around the world to volunteer and learn about the environment. Local celebrations include a free annual Marion County party at Spongs Landing Park on Saturday, April 26, from 1-4 p.m.
Contact reporter Alan Cohen: [email protected].
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Alan Cohen is an intern at the Salem Reporter and an undergraduate at Willamette University. Born and raised in Spain, he has also been involved in student journalism for three years, and is passionate about bringing a voice to underrepresented communities through ethical reporting.
