Be an earth angel

Earth Day is next week—April 22! Check out some local events to help you celebrate.

• SOLV IT Volunteer to clean illegal dumpsites, enhance neighborhoods and restore watersheds. Saturday, April 17, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. at various sites.
• Earth Day at Rock Creek Learn about invasive plant removal, wildflowers, composting and shop the farmers market. Saturday, April 24, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the PCC Rock Creek Campus.
• Willow Creek Earth Fair Take a tour of the first LEED Platinum certified building in Washington County. Saturday, April 24, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the PCC Willow Creek Center.

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.

Join the Cycle

From the rain to the river to the faucet at home, our water moves in one big cycle. Help us keep it clean by doing your part. Look for our 'Join the Cycle' messages on bus backs, TV commercials and in newspapers. These simple behaviors help protect our community:

• Do the Doody and pick up after your pet
• Cut the Chemicals in your yard
• Can the Wipes instead of flushing them down the toilet

April shower power

Spring rain making your yard soggy? Consider installing a rain garden or swale which lets rain soak into the ground and helps filter out pollutants before water gets to storm drains and our waterways. A few resources to get you started:

• Attend a free rain garden class, Saturday, May 1 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. at OSU Extension's Family Living & Learning Day.
• Register for a free rain garden workshop Saturday, May 8, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge.
• Sign up to be a Clean Water Hero and get up to three hours of free, on-site technical assistance for your yard.
• Download the new Oregon Rain Garden Guide and learn how to design and build rain gardens with information specific to Oregon's conditions, including rainfall and appropriate plants.