Get Involved

Thinking of doing something for your community on Saturday, September 24th? Jackson County and its partners invite all community members to join on National Public Lands Day in an effort to keep Bear Creek clean!

Date: Saturday, September 24th 2022

Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Check-in: 8:30 am

Location: Nine check-in/out locations along the Bear Creek Greenway from Central Point to Ashland!

Clean-up gear is available by SOLVE and their local partners at the registration/check-in booths. However, volunteers are encouraged to bring their own supplies, including gloves and tools.

REGISTER HERE

This is a Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism (SOLVE)-sponsored stream clean-up event. SOLVE is a non-profit organization and this clean-up initiative is part of their Adopt-A-River Program.

Additionally, the event is part of the Bear Creek Stewardship Day effort, a series of clean-up events along Bear Creek in the cities of Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, Medford and Central Point.

For a report on the last clean-up and how it has expanded over the past couple of years, click here.

Feel free to contact us with any questions you have.

Mission

A collaboration of individuals and organizations that promote a thriving Bear Creek Greenway corridor through the convergence of art, environmental stewardship, and recreation.

Guiding Principles:

• Economic Revitalization
• Strengthen Community
• Diverse Collaboration
• Increase Safety
• Promote Environmental and Individual Health

The clean-up event is one part of a larger program of work by the city of Medford and its partners along Bear Creek.

That larger program is:

• Enhancing the area near Hawthorne Park (murals on the viaduct pillars)
• Removing and controlling invasive plants such as Himalayan blackberry, restoring native trees and shrubs, and treating stormwater runoff
• Promoting and upholding public safety

Background

The Bear Creek watershed is the most urbanized area in southern Oregon. It is also one of the most water quality-limited streams in Oregon. Urban runoff, low summer stream flows, and high summer water temperatures contribute to the poor water quality.

Bear Creek is also an important fish-bearing stream with Chinook and Coho salmon and Steelhead trout. This clean-up event is creating a local community-based investment in keeping the Bear Creek corridor clean and keeping trash out of the stream.

REGISTER HERE