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Memberships include the following benefits:

To join go here!

Rain, rain go away!
We’re going to have to mark stormdrains another day.

With the thunderstorms overnight, and the likelyhood of more showers through the day, we’re unfortunately going to have to cancel stormdrain marking for tonight, as we need 8-12 hours of dry weather to completely dry out the porous concrete to make it the adhesive stick.

Our next stormdrain marking dates are set for Tuesday August 16th, and Monday August 22nd, both dates we’ll meet at 6:00pm, and will again attempt to mark in the SE 10th and Franklin neighborhood. Hopefully Noah’s Ark won’t be floating by at that point. : )

Thanks for your interest, enthusiasm and patience. We’ll get some dry weather soon, and put ya’ll to work.

If you’re interested in helping out with future markings, we can always use more volunteers! Sign up with Gregg: stormdrainmarkingpdx@gmail.com

Kick off your shoes go barefoot on July 9th as we partner once again with Barefoot Wine and Bubbly For the Barefoot Beach Rescue Project and Celebration. Details above and on our facebook and evite pages linked below. We’ll be celebrating after the cleanup with participants at Buffalo Gap Saloon for a little karaoke-off all the while enjoying libations from our partners at Barefoot Wine! We hope to see you there, RSVP details linked below or on our Facebook event page.

July 9th PDX Barefoot Rescue on Facebook

July 9th PDX Barefoot Rescue on Eventbrite

Ever want to get more involved with Surfrider PDX Chapter and have as much fun and learn as much as we do? Well, now is your chance!

On July 12th at 7pm at SE Lucky Lab during our public montly meeting we will determine our new secretary! To qualify you need to have volunteered at least once with us, be a Surfrider Member (join here), have administrative skills and be willing to volunteer 1.5-5 hours per week. See some of the specifics of the role here.

Sounds like a lot? Don’t worry! Our veteran volunteers will help you out, train you and probably become your new great friends! Must be present at this 7/12 meeting to run for Secretary 2011-2012! Questions? Contact: Charlie at CPlybon@surfrider.org

Also, at this months meeting: Ocean Friendly Rain Garden Presentation by expert

Candace Stoughton

 Candace Stoughton, Low Impact Development Specialist of East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, speaks on how to protect our oceans with Rain Gardens!

Rain gardens, or Ocean Friendly Gardens (OFGs), can reduce the amount of pollution reaching creeks, streams, and ultimately our oceans! A rain garden is a planted depression that filters rainwater runoff from impervious urban areas like driveways, streets, roofs, sidewalks, parking lots, and compacted lawn areas. This provides an opportunity for the water to be absorbed and filtered, reducing the amount of contaminated water draining down stormdrains to the ocean.

Candace currently is working on urban conservation issues with a focus on sustainable stormwater management. She has expertise in low impact development methods that protect streams and rivers from urban stormwater runoff.
Before joining the district, she worked as a watershed manager for The Nature Conservancy in Georgia and as a biologist with the Environmental Protection Agency.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

It is May and it is the beginning of the Catch Basin Marking season … a community service project sponsored by the City of Portland.  This is the 7th season of Surfrider Foundation/Portland Chapter involvement.

Again this year to spur participation, we will have two events per month … one on Tuesday evening and the following Saturday morning .

Tuesday event
When: Tuesday, MAY 24th at 6:30 PM to dusk
Where: S.E. 34 Ave. & S.E. Yamhill St.    (one block south of SE Belmont)

Saturday event
When: Saturday MAY 28th at 10:00 AM to Noon
Where: S.E. 31st Ave. & S.E. Belmont St.

The unsettled weather of spring may be a factor … if rain is predicted 12 hours either side of the meeting time, I will cancel the event … the adhesive we are using does not stick well in the presents of water.

But if the day is clear, come on out and volunteer your time to this worthy cause … wear comfortable clothes you don’t mind getting dirty … bring a friend, this is an open event.

Plan on being at the assembly point about 15 minutes early for signing waivers and a quick course in catch basin marking.

If you have general questions, a question about the weather conditions the day of the event, or if you need directions, please feel free to call … Also, if you are going to be late, give a call and I can direct you to us.

For the Oceans …
John Thompson – 503-936-8052
Storm Drain Coordinator

It’s not everyday that we get to personally reach 1400 kids in just a few hours. But this past Tuesday, once again the Children’s Clean Water Festival at PCC Sylvania campus proved to be a massive success where our volunteers were able to engage students over the course of the day in their “plastic sandbox” educational activity and “reusable scavenger hunt”.

We were stoked to have veteran volunteers Staj Pace and Drew Kerr help out, but new volunteers to the event Teresa Collins and David Scott really helped manage the crowd, even helping out at the Washed Ashore booth where they needed more help! Thanks so much volunteers, massive success!

Everyday millions of pounds of food waste are thrown away and sent to landfills where it sits around, taking up space, contaminating ground water, and releasing methane (a greenhouse gas) into the atmosphere. What can we do to help alleviate this problem? COMPOST!

That’s right, at the next Surfrider Portland Chapter Meeting, on May 10th, volunteer Gregg Hayward will be teaching us how to build worm bins to compost our own food waste right at home.

Besides being the easy, clean, and the raddest science experience ever, worm composting reduces the amount of waste we send to the landfill, while producing the best natural fertilizer on Earth for our plants fruits and vegetables. Not to mention that composting strengthens our soils, holds water, and can help reduce erosion keeping our oceans and beaches clean!

If you’re interested in building your own bin, please email Gregg by May 8th and he’ll buy all the supplies you’ll need to build your bin (he’ll maybe even include some worms to get you started). Then at the May 10th meeting he’ll lead us through all the steps to build, maintain and eventually harvest our bins, plus provide a lot of interesting and hilarious facts along the way.

Don’t want to buy a worm bin, but want to come to the meeting to learn! That’s fine too. Hope to see you there.

Where: Lucky Lab Brewery, 915 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, OR

(minors allowed with adults)

When: 7:30-9:00pm Tuesday May 10th, 2011

What: Monthly PDX Meeting and Worm Bin Composting presentation and building exercise.

*Please note, this event has been moved to Oaks Crossing Natural Area, which is right next to Sellwood Riverfront Park due to high water levels.

This Earth Day join Surfrider Portland in partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation and Rachel Carson Environmental Middle School in an educational, hands-on work party at Sellwood Park! ( This was originally at Elk Rock )

On Saturday, April 23 from 9-11am the whole family* is encouraged to come lend a helping hand to restore and revitalize this splendid natural area.

*Small children must be accompanied by an adult and middle schoolers must have one adult for every 4-5 kids.

What:

Work Party to clean-up trash, remove invasive plant species and plant natives.
When:

Saturday April 23, 2011
9am Registration (early bird gets snacks and drink)
9am-11am Work Party
11am-1pm Educational Walking Tour of Island (optional for volunteers)

Where:

SE Spokane St & Oaks Pkwy
What Else:

Water, tools, gloves and fun are provided. Please bring a reusable water bottle, sturdy shoes, and appropriate clothing you don’t mind getting dirty.

Volunteers are encouraged to pre-register with Lisa by email at lisa.lynch@oregonsurfrider.org

We need your help this weekend for the Ross Island Cleanup! Do due heavy weather conditions in October, we had to switch the date which means we need more volunteers! Come out this Saturday from 8am-noon, check out the post below for all the details and contact information. Together we can help keep our rivers from carrying our litter downstream.

Also this Saturday night we’re tabling at the Donovan Franenreiter show, who just happens to be a big supporter of Surfrider Foundation. Come check out the show with us, details on the flyer or contact mason.brock@yahoo.com for volunteer information.