Happy bEARTHday!

There are plenty of opportunities to celebrate Earth Day this year. Local events include:

• Walk on the Wetlands: Identify animal species and shop the native plant sale. Saturday April 19, 9 a.m. - noon at Jackson Bottom Wetlands.
• Fanno Creek Greenway ride: Join the Audubon Society of Portland and Fans of Fanno Creek for a bike ride along the Fanno Creek Greenway. Saturday, April 19, 9 a.m. - noon.
• SOLV it: Volunteer to clean illegal dumpsites, beautify and enhance neighborhoods and public spaces and restore watersheds around the county. Saturday, April 19, 9 a.m. - noon.
• Beaverton Neighborhood Summit: Get green solutions for everyday life and stop by our booth. Saturday, April 19, 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at Beaverton City Hall.

Keep the spirit of Earth Day all year long. Remember to conserve water in your home, garden with native plants in your yard and recycle or compost your trash. Visit our website for more tips.

Founded by the organizers of the first Earth Day in 1970, learn about the Earth Day Network which promotes environmental citizenship and year round progressive action worldwide.

Water quality concerns

When Americans are asked to rate their level of worry about each of 12 environmental concerns, their top four concerns relate to water quality, with pollution of drinking water the top overall concern. Read the poll results.

Little Miss Sunshine

Congratulations to Sunshine, the 2007 photo contest winner of our Canines for Clean Water program. Sunshine was chosen in an online poll of previous months photo contest winners. Sunshine and her human companion Jennifer, along with 300 other canines in the Tualatin Basin have taken the pledge to pick up their waste and throw it in the trash. If you haven’t pledged your pooch yet, sign up now.

Did you know that our local rivers and streams have fecal bacteria that exceed clean water standards? According to a recent DNA study, dog waste alone accounts for almost 15% in some local streams. What can you do to help keep our water safe and clean? Follow these easy steps:

1. Pick up after your pet.
2. Throw pet waste into a garbage can.
3. Take the Canines for Clean Water pledge and receive a FREE Canines for Clean Water dog bandana.*
4. Enter your fashionable hound in our online photo contest.

The Canines for Clean Water program is sponsored by the Tualatin
Basin Partners for Clean Water. Help keep our water clean for future generations of humans and canines alike.

*Must be a Tualatin River Watershed resident.