Bear Creek Stewardship Success

On the morning of Saturday, April 23rd, 101 volunteers from our community gathered together for Bear Creek Stewardship Day. We celebrated Earth Day and cleaned up litter along the Bear Creek Greenway from Barnett Road to McAndrews Road. These 101 stewards were able to clean up an estimated 1,560 pounds of litter in just a few hours – proof that we make a big impact when we work together as a community.

Bear Creek Stewardship Day is a clean up event held twice each year, and is the result of widespread collaboration of local businesses, organizations, and individuals. This event was sponsored by SOLVE, a non-profit organization that brings Oregonians together to improve our environment and build a legacy of stewardship, as well as several local partners: the City of Medford, Rogue Valley Council of Governments, Oregon Department of Transportation, Medford Food Co-op, Starbucks, Stream Smart, the Gordon Elwood Foundation, and the Jackson Soil & Water Conservation District.

It was truly awesome to see people from various walks of life show their appreciation and support for the Bear Creek Greenway that we are so fortunate to have connecting us to nature and to our neighboring communities here in the Rogue Valley. So many individuals showed up, rolled up their sleeves and helped clean up the Greenway: AARP members, Cub Scouts, Adventure Girls, students from St. Mary’s, and employees from Kohl’s to name just a few. It was a shining example of cooperative effort at its finest.

For those interested in getting involved, the next Bear Creek Stewardship Day will take place on September 24th. We’ll be posting about the event on our website, Facebook page, and Twitter page as the date approaches in the fall, so stay tuned for more information on how you can help keep the Bear Creek Greenway beautiful for everyone to enjoy.